Nickelodeon's Kingdom Hearts II
by MegaTenDouche
Summary: Picks up where the Prologue left off. Kioku and his companions have been asleep for about a year, regaining their memories. When Kioku awakens, he learns about a new threat called the Syndicate XIII and the Nobodies. Kioku gains a new power and sets out on a new journey, visiting worlds both old and new, meeting new allies, while also encountering new enemies. The story isn't over.
1. Premise II

_-Nickelodeon's Kingdom Hearts II-_

 _ **Summary:**_

 _Kioku and his companions have been asleep for about a year, regaining their memories. When Kioku awakens, he finds himself in Twilight Town. Gaining new clothes and powers, Kioku began his journey anew, unaware of the events that have taken place in Chain of Memories. Kioku continues his quest by unlocking paths to new worlds, learning of Nobodies and fighting the Heartless, as well as facing the mysterious Syndicate XIII._

 _This is the continuation of Nickelodeon Kingdom Hearts II and picks up where the prologue left off._

 _ **-Main Characters-**_

* * *

 _Kioku (Wielder of the Keyblade) **(Voiced by: Ryan Potter/**_ _ **Yūtarō Honjō)**_

Spongebob Squarepants (Royal Frycook, Expert Mage) _**(Voiced by: Tom Kenny/** **Taiki Matsuno)**_

Patrick Star (Captain of the Royal Knights, Powerful Warrior) _**(Voiced by:** **Bill Fagerbakke** / **Takashi Nagasako)** _

* * *

**_-Villains-_**

 ** _After the defeat of the original Council of Villains, Vicky and Plankton decide to recruit more villains._**

Vicky _**(Voiced by: Grey DeLisle/**_ **Yūko Miyamura)**

Bubble Bass _**(Voiced by: Dee Bradley Baker/**_ ** _Takashi Nagasako_ )**

Plankton _**(Voiced by: Mr. Lawrence/** **Chie Matsuura)**_

King K. Rool _**(Voiced by: Corey Burton/Akio Otsuka)**_

Bowser Jr. _**(Voiced by:**_ **Caety Sagoian/** _ **Kikuko Inoue)**_

* * *

 ** _-Returning Worlds-_**

Hollow Bastion (Kingdom Hearts)

Land of The Wild (The Wild Thornberrys Movie)

Interstellar Arena/Cluster Prime (My Life as a Teenage Robot)

Krusty Kastle/Bikini Bottom _(Spongebob Squarepants) - **Now Playable-**_

Far, Far Away (Shrek 2)

 ** _-New Worlds-_**

 _Twilight Town/Mysterious Tower (Kingdom Hearts II)_

 _Valley of Peace/Gongmen City (Kung Fu Panda: Legend of Awesomeness)_

 _Central Park Zoo (Penguins of Madagascar)_

 _Distorted Earth (Invader ZiM)_

 _Area Fifty-Something (Monsters vs. Aliens)_

 _The Four Nations (Avatar: The Last Air Bender)_

 _Dirt (Rango)_

 _Dimmsdale/Fairy World (Fairly Odd Parents)_

 _Amity Park (Danny Phantom)_

 _High River (Caitlin's Way)_

 _Dill House (Rugrats)_

 _Zeenu (Planet Sheen)_

 _The Wayne_ ( _Welcome to the Wayne_ )

 _Wellsville (The Adventures of Pete and Pete)_

 _4077th MASH (M*A*S*H)_

 _City of Misfortune (Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events)_

 _Temple of Fortunes (Legend of the Hidden Temple)_

 _Monstrous Landfill (Ahh! Real Monsters!)_

 _Foras Corpus_

* * *

 ** _-Sub Worlds-_**

Adventurous Forest (Little Bear)

 _Gulch of the Past_ : _Gulch of the Past acts as a Spongebob incarnation of Timeless River. Everything is in the style of the first few seasons of Spongebob Squarepants_ _._

 _Blue's House (Blue's Clues)_

* * *

 ** _-Minigames-_**

 _Jellyfish Battles_ : Kioku, Spongebob and Patrick spar with the Jellyfish in Bikini Bottom over at the Jellyfish Fields. As your Level gets higher through the course of the "game", stronger Jellyfish in a variant of different colors and with much more HP becomes frequent. Your Drive Gauge cannot run out while in battle and your Anti and Un points are reset.

 _Interstellar Arena_ : Kioku will be able to enter into the different cups, each of them having different rules.

 _Skateboard Challenge_ : Like in KH2, a skateboard can be found and used in most worlds for faster travel. Some NPCs will give mini challenges for Kioku to do on his skateboard.

* * *

 _ **Drive Forms-**_

Just like Sora in Kingdom Hearts II, Kioku will gain a brand new outfit which gives him powers. Drive Forms can be used when party members are present. A huge difference, is that instead of dual Keyblades, Kioku's Keyblade will take on a different shape for some forms.

1\. **Brawler** **Form/Bruiser Form:** Brawler Form turns Kioku's clothes red and black color with an urban camouflage design on his shirt and pants. In this form, Kioku's Guardian Locker transforms into two twin shields. He can block/parry attacks and retaliate with quick, hard hitting punching combos. Kioku's hands glow and flicker with red electricity. _**(Only fusible with Patrick)**_

 _ **Growth Ability: High Jump**_

2\. **Mage Form:** Wisdom Form turns Kioku's clothing deep blue and black, with an emblem resembling grey flames on the ends of his shirt, pants and sleeves. Kioku's Keyblade transforms into a medium sized staff in this form. While in Mage Form, specks of light float around Kioku's legs. There is also a blue magical mist surrounding Kioku's feet that turns into two light blue wisps, one rising from each foot when Kioku slides across landscape. Kioku can shoot blue blasts of magic at his enemies, as well as strike the enemies with his staff and his magic increases in strength. _**(Only fusible with Spongebob)**_

 _ **Growth Ability: Quick Run**_

3\. **First** **Form:** First Form changes Kioku's clothes into the same colors and style of the clothes he wore in Nickelodeon's Kingdom Hearts and Chain of Memories. However, a blue crown appears on his knees and the same crown on his sleeves. He gains the abilities he used to have. He only uses one Keyblade in this form. _**(Fusible alone)**_

 _ **Growth Ability: Dodge Roll**_

4\. **Rhythm Form:** Rhythm Form changes Kioku's clothes to purple and black with grey music notes appearing on his pant legs and sleeves. While in Rhythm Form, Kioku's attacks become faster and use rhythmic sounds to damage enemies. The standard combo while attacking is a rapid four-hit combo, and the combo finisher is a summoning of four large cubes that circles around Kioku before exploding. Puppet magic is strengthened, allowing for enemies who are under Kioku's control to attack their own comrades and deal more damage. A unique feature is that the speed of Kioku's attacks can match the beat of a song in some cases.

 ** _Growth Ability: Sound Boost_**

5\. **Final Form:** Final Form changes Kioku's clothes to black and white, with the symbols on his pants somewhat resembling an eye with a wind pattern. Final Form is a powerful form that gives Kioku the ability to wield two Keyblades through telekinesis. Physical attacks are extremely quick and powerful with new finishers that deal high amounts of damage. The floating Keyblades automatically attack when performing actions, like jumping and gliding. Magic is also made more powerful, as individual spells perform differently than usual.

 _ **Growth Ability: Glide**_

6\. **Anti Form:** AntiForm is strongly reminiscent of the Anti Kioku Heartless from Nickelodeon Kingdom Hearts, and Kioku is able to use this form since he was turned into a Shadow. AntiForm has more feral behavior in which it runs about on all fours, and instead of using the Keyblade in this form, Kioku attacks with claws on his hands. Aesthetically, Kioku's skin and hair become ink black, his eyes glow yellow like a Heartless, and his clothes become black with blue accents. Furthermore, he constantly emits Darkness from his arms and back in the form of misty black and violet wisps.

7\. **UnForm:** UnForm is very similar to AntiForm, but possesses the abilities of a Nobody. Kioku uses feral claw attacks instead of using the Keyblade. He is able to use UnForm due to the fact of Ikkxou merging with him. Kioku's skin becomes light gray and his hair is a pale blondish-gray. Gray bandages cover his face and his clothes become a silvery white and gray, with the Nobody symbol appearing on his knees and sleeves. His voice is distorted and creepy sounding, giving the form a more scary feel to it. Unform can avoid mostly every attack with just stepping away. The motions and movements are creepy and humanly impossible, just like the Dusk's movement. Unform can fire black and white spiraling thorns at enemies. He can't pick up HP orbs or MP orbs and he can't use Magic. You can get this form by abusing Final Form too much.

* * *

- **Magic-**

Fire, Fira, Firaga, Firaja: Utilizes the element of Fire to create balls of Flame.

Blizzard, Blizzara, Blizzaga, Blizzaja: Utilizes chunks of Ice and chilling gust of wind.

Thunder, Thundara, Thundaga, Thundaja: Utilizes bursts of Lightning and Electricity.

Reflect, Reflera, Reflega, Refleja: Utilizes the element of Light to create a shield that reflects attacks off, then is unleashed in a spray of light that blinds and damages all foes in the area.

Aero, Aerora, Aeroga, Aeroja: Utilizes the element of Air to create strong wind barriers, forceful gusts of wind, and even Tornadoes.

Stop, Stopra, Stopga, Stopja: Utilizes the element of Time to freeze certain projectiles, enemies, and objects.

Cure, Cura, Curaga, Curaja: Utilizes the element of Plants to cure minor and major damages.

Esuna, Esunaga: Utilizes the elements of Magic to heal and cure any and all status ailments.

* * *

 _- **New Spells-**_

Puppet, Puppetra, Puppega, Puppeja: Utilizes the sound frequencies to incapacitate random enemies, then coerce them into attacking the remaining foes.

Water, Watera, Waterga, Waterja: Utilizes the element of Water to create a stream of raging water, that can be used to either wash away foes or to slide across the area.

Balloon, Balloonra, Balloonga, Balloonja: Kioku summons a balloons that burst on contact, bouncing enemies into the air and stunning them. He can also use the balloons he summons to bounce higher into the air.

Magnet, Magnera, Magnega, Magneja: Utilizes the element of Magnetism to attract any and all objects or enemies into a magnetic field.

Sleep, Sleepra, Sleepga, Sleepja: Utilizes the element of Slumber to put any and all enemies to sleep for a certain period of time.

Zero Gravity, Zero Gravira, Zero Graviga, Zero Gravija: Utilizes the element of Gravity to make enemies drift into the air and leave them vulnerable for attacks.

Bubble, Bubblera, Bubblaga: A spell that's exclusive to Spongebob. He ultilizes the power to create orbs of water that explode near the enemies.

Gaia: A spell that's exclusive to Patrick. He slams the ground with his weapons and conjures up a few slabs of rock and fires them at the enemies with his fists.

* * *

 _ **-World Forms-**_

 ** _Due to both Kioku's clothes and Spongebob's magic, the three change into various forms when in certain worlds_**.

 _Cyberspace: Kioku, Spongebob and Patrick gain robotic-like clothing which resembles their normal clothes. Their clothing is replaced with_ _robotic, grey and dark blue armor covered in glowing, cyan computer circuitry. Kioku wears a sleek helmet that covers his forehead and wraps over the top of his head to the back of his neck, leaving the sides of his head and two tufts of hair exposed. Kioku's crown necklace disappears, now incorporated into his form's design as it appears both on his chest and on his back. The Keyblade takes on_ _glowing blue circuit lines to match the world's aesthetic._

 _Bikini Bottom: Kioku gains only an air helmet, retaining his normal outfit._

 _Monsterous Landfill: Kioku, Spongebob and Patrick all turn into Monsters. Kioku becomes a humanoid feline-like monster, Spongebob becomes a grotesque one-eyed monster and Patrick becomes a more monstrous-looking starfish._

 _Dill House: Kioku, Spongebob, and Patrick's ages are reduced, but they retain their matured mindset. Kioku becomes a toddler, and Spongebob and Patrick become babies._

 _Dirt: Kioku, Spongebob and Patrick simply shrink down in size, similar to Ventus in his visit to Castle of Dreams._

 _Fairy World: Kioku, Spongebob and Patrick gain fairy wings and crowns._

 _City of Misfortune: To fit with the look of the movie, Kioku, Spongebob and Patrick all take on a darker, ashened shade so that they won't stick out as much unlike Sora, Donald and Goofy who in Port Royal retained their regular tint. Resulting in SGD looking very much out of place. Kioku's hair, skin and clothes are darker. Spongebob is darker shade of yellow and Patrick is a darker shade of pink, both of them gaining a more realistic-looking texture to their skin and clothes. Like Sora, Donald and Goofy's weapons in Halloween Town, Kioku, Spongebob and Patrick's weapons are also darker in color and look slightly realistic._

 _Gulch of the Past: Kioku, Spongebob and Patrick appear as if they're inside of an old techicolor cartoon. Kioku resembles a stylized version of his earliest incarnation in Nickleodeon's Kingdom Hearts. His face, arms, and figure have a much more cartoonish look, and more closely match the rubber hose-style of cartoons. Spongebob wears his old Frycook uniform,_ a _nd Patrick wears nothing but his swimming trunks._

 _Central Park Zoo: Kioku, Spongebob and Partick turn into animals. Kioku becomes a cheetah cub. He retains his hair and crown pendant. Spongebob becomes a monkey, and Patrick becomes a tortoise._

* * *

-Summons-

 ** _Cape Charm:_** Kioku will be able to summon Kappa Mikey into battle.

 **God Fairy Charm:** Kioku will be able to summon Cosmo and Wanda into battle.

 **Giant Charm:** Kioku will be able to summonthe giant monster, Ginormica into battle.

 ** _Power Charm:_** Kioku will be able to summon the strongest man in the world, Artie, into battle.

 _ **Honey Comb Charm:**_ Kioku will be able to summon the Bessie Higgenbottom/The Mighty B, into battle with him.

 _ **Stethoscope Charm:**_ Kioku will be able to summon the "trustworthy" Dr. Hutchison, into battle.


	2. Chapter 1: The Awakening

_**Chapter 1: The Awakening**_

 _ **-Twilight Town: Train Station-**_

Pulling into the train station was a rather odd-looking train compared to the others. The train was purple and decorated with star-shaped windows and countless of cresent moon and star paterns all over it. The train's doors opened, and stepping out of the train was a large, red crab dressed in a black coat with the hood shrouding his face. He looked over to his left and saw a tall man dressed in the same black coat, at it seemed like he was waiting for the crab. The cloaked crab didn't say a word and started to walk towards the hooded man.

* * *

 _ **-Meanwhile-**_

 _"Kioku!" A voice called out._

 _"Kioku! Wake up!" Another shouted._

Opening his eyes for first time in what felt like a year. The keybearer heard his name being called from outside of somewhere. Kioku felt drowsy like as if he had just taken a long nap. He was closed into a roomy yet closed in space, and it was pitch black. Soon, a bright light briefly flashed for a second, and the darkness around him started to peel away and let in more light, accompanied by the sound of revving machinery. Soon, the boy could see the outside. Standing before him, were two people that he was familiar with. A yellow sponge and a pink starfish, both of them bearing huge smiles on their faces. Kioku stretched his limbs, yawning loudly just before slumping over. He smiled and jumped out from the pod.

He tackled the two to the floor in a giant hug, "Spongebob! Patrick!" he shouted happily. The three stood up and laughed joyfully. Spongebob noticed that Kioku had grown a bit. "Gee Kioku, you've gotten a bit taller!" He commented. "And your hair!"

Kioku tilted his head, "Huh, what about my hair?" he asked. He noticed that his bangs were nearly draping over his eyes. Patrick gasped, "Your hair is little longer than before,." The boy sat up and ruffled his feathered hair and he immediately noticed that is hair had gotten slightly longer. "Whoa.." he muttered. He then looked around, not recognizing the place he was currently in. Soon, Winslow popped out from Kioku's hood and landed on the floor next to the them. The little mouse stretched, "Gosh, I tell ya. That was some nap!"

"You mean we were asleep?" Kioku asked. The mouse nodded, "We had to have been, or else we wouldn't be so drowsy." he said. The three stood up and had tried to remember the events before their slumber.

"When do you think we went to sleep?" Spongebob asked. Kioku rubbed his chin, "Well—we defeated Vlad,"

"Uh huh." Patrick nodded.

"Restored all of the worlds that were lost to the darkness, found Taiyo..." Kioku added. He then remembered something else, "—Oh right, then we went to look for Yoru. And I think that's right so far."

Patrick looked at both Kioku and Spongebob, "Then what else?" Winslow took out his journal, "I know, I'll just check my journal. I gots lots a stuff in it, remember?" He opened it up, and he quickly yelled out in anger. Kioku looked down at the mouse, "Something wrong?"

"SOMETHIN' WRONG?!" Winslow shouted. He then started to rapidly flip the pages of his journal, "All a' the records of our journey this far have vanished! Every single page is gone!"

He kept flipping until he came across one page in his journal that wasn't blank. Instead, it had one sentence. "The heck, this page has only got one sentence." Winslow muttered. "Thank Zafira..." the mouse looked up from his journal, "Who the hell is that?"

Kioku, Spongebob and Patrick looked at each other and shrugged. The starfish then narrowed a glare at Winslow, "Some journal of yours." He said, folding his arms.

"Shut up!" Winslow snapped. "Why not instead of standing here like a bunch a' nimrods, we go and see where we are?" the mouse suggested. Kioku nodded, "Sounds like a plan."

 ** _(Party in: Spongebob, Patrick)_**

* * *

 _ **(Field Theme: Afternoon Streets)**_

After leaving what seemed to be a mansion and walked through a wooded area, Kioku and the other found a hole in the wall that lead into town. Kioku looked around the area and he felt a warm feeling of nostalgia in his heart. He stopped for a moment and put a hand to his chest. Spongebob walked over and nudged Kioku, "Hey, you alright?"

The boy jumped and turned to look at Spongebob. "Oh..um yeah."

"Then what's the matter?" Patrick asked. Kioku shrugged, "I dunno, I feel like I've been to this town."

"What's it called?" Spongebob asked. Kioku tried to think of the name, but nothing came to his mind. The boy just chuckled and shrugged it off, "Haha, guess I just imagined it." Kioku then continued on. He then turned the corner and he gasped at something that caught his eye. Kioku waved at Spongebob and Patrick, "Guys! Come quick!" the two quickly raced over to Kioku to see what all the fuss was about, "What Kioku! What did you see?"

When they looked, they saw crowds of people walking around what appeared to be a large festival. People of all ages with masks and balloons in their hands, tons of other people playing games at the booths. Just having a good time. Kioku, on the other hand, nearly jumped out of his shoes in excitement. "C'mon guys! Let's go have some fun!"

The boy then ran off to have fun in the festival, much to Spongebob's dismay. "KIOKU!" he shouted after him. He scoffed, "Can you believe him, Patrick. We're in a town we've never been to and the first thing this boy does is wander off to some festival." Spongebob ranted. "That boy hasn't changed a bit, right Patrick?"

Spongebob turned around and noticed that the starfish was gone as well, "PATRICK?!". The sponge groaned in anger and had started to run off to find the two, not that they were hard to find anyways. As the sponge had started to explore the festival, he had heard a commotion taking place near him.

"BACK OFF YOU LITTLE SQUIRT!" One boy yelled.

"NO DAMMIT, YOU BACK OFF!" Another boy yelled back. Spongebob turned his attention to the argument, hoping that Kioku wasn't involved. That was last thing he needed. He only saw two other boys fighting, one burly looking boy and a kid who looked around Kioku's age with headphones around his neck.

"You two! Cut that out!" Kioku's voice had shouted at the boys. Next thing he knew, Spongebob saw Kioku walked up to the two boys and had started to scold them in front of everyone. "Kioku!" Spongebob shrieked.

The muscular boy turned to look at Kioku, "What did you say?"

Kioku glared at the tall, burly teen. "I said, shut up! You two are fighting like children when you should actually be having fun." He scolded. "Don't ruin the festival for everyone else!"

The large boy gave Kioku an angry look and grabbed him by his overalls. He then raised his fist. "Why don't _you_ shut up, you dorky-", The key bearer had then grabbed the boy's wrist and flipped him over, making the crowd around them gasp in surprise. The bully stood up and brushed himself off, glaring at Kioku. "You'll regret that!" He growled. Kioku smirked and put up his fists. "Alright, then make me regret it."

The large bully wound up his fist and charged at him, "YOU'RE DEAD!"

"Watch your feet.." Kioku smiled slyly as he stepped to the side and stuck out his foot, causing the bully to trip and crash into a booth behind them. Spongebob squealed and quickly ran over to Kioku. He yelled, "Hey, are you crazy?!"

Patrick soon followed behind Spongebob, "Did Kioku beat someone up?" The bully stood up from the rubble of the booth and he brushed himself off. He had tears in his eyes, but he looked incredibly angry. "You damn punk! I'll remember your face!" He yelled just before running off in embarrassment.

Kioku scoffed. "What a jerk.." The boy with the headphones turned to Kioku and smiled, "Hey man, that was pretty cool."

The teen laughed, "Thanks, but that was nothing really."

"Are you kiddin'?" The boy chuckled. "You just embarrassed the guy in front of the whole town!"

"Well, he did deserve it for being a bully, after all." Kioku said as he folded his arms.

"Say, you guys must be new around here, right?" The boy asked. "I'm Nero."

"Kioku," The teen introduced himself, "Nice to meet you, Nero."

"I'm Spongebob," the sponge introduced himself. "And this is Patrick." he gestured towards the pink starfish.

"Kioku, Spongebob and Patrick?!", Nero's eyes had then widened. "Holy crap, I know you guys!" Kioku flinched, "Y-You do?"

Nero nodded, "Yeah, some guy down at the train station was looking for you. He seemed like he was in a hurry, but he had a black coat on and he had these big, meaty claws!" He said, describing the person.

Kioku rubbed his chin, "Big, meat claws? Who do we know that has—" Spongebob gasped as he had recognized the description, "The king!"

"The king?!" Patrick gasped. He then grabbed Nero and shouted, "Where did you see him?!"

Nero shoved the starfish off of him, "Geez, at the station like I said!" he shouted. "Thanks, Nero!" Kioku said as he shook the boy's hand. "We gotta get going!"

Spongebob cheered, "Mother of Neptune! The king is trying to find us!"

Kioku smiled, "Let's hurry to the station!" Soon, the three took off towards the train station, hoping that King Krabs was still there looking for them.

* * *

 _ **-Twilight Town: Central Station-**_

After the tree sprinted through the city to get to the train station, they finally made it. They slowed down and started walking towards the building. Almost immediately, Kioku noticed how unsettling and quiet everything was. The closer they got to the station, the more omnious things were getting.

Kioku stopped and looked back at Spongebob and Patrick, "Hey, doesn't something feel a little off to you?"

"Hmm.." Patrick rubbed his chin. "Now that you mention it. It is a bit too quiet."

The boy took another look around and walked forward, still feeling a bit uneasy. Soon, emerging out a nowhere were a group of monsters that had appeared out of thin air. The monsters had thin, sinuous bodies that seemed to be capable of dumbfounding feats of flexibility. They had a large, cylindrical head with a flat top that is emblazoned with the Nobody symbol. Their bodies seems to be covered in a light grey jumpsuit, and its "mouth" is actually a zipper that undoes itself to reveal its actual, grey, sharp-toothed mouth underneath. They appeared to be fairly muscular, though their arms and legs are very thin. The sides of their body are lined by a black line, which pulses weakly with light. Its feet and hands are pointed and lack digits, and its hands each sport two black bands around them.

The monsters danced eerily in place as they surrounded the three and had started to close in on them. Kioku tilted his head, as he didn't seem familiar with the creatures. Yet it seemed like he knew them from somewhere. "Guess I'll need to give my Keyblade a little exercise, no?"

Kioku whipped out his hand and summoned his Keyblade, Guardian Locker, and got in a stance with it. Spongebob summoned his staff, Royal Spatulla and Patrick summoned his dual shields, Twin Busters.

* * *

 **(Battle Theme: Tension Rising)**

 **(INFORMATION: Fight the mysterious enemies!)**

It's been a long while since Kioku had fought with his Keyblade, but he quickly managed to take out a few of those monsters. He still had good mobility as he dodged and rolled out of the way of most of their attacks and retaliated with a few swats from his weapon. Spongebob swung his staff around and smacked the monsters around, just before summoning bolts of lighting to rain down and strike them. Patrick spun around and started to swing his shields around and pummel a few of the monsters and vanquish them with great strength.

He tossed his shields around and slashed through more of the monsters just before his weapons came back to him. But even though they vanquished and destroyed most of the monsters, more of them kept appearing. Kioku spun his Keyblade and swung at the monsters and slashed through them and hoped to defeat them, but more just kept appearing. Spongebob shot more Thunder at the monsters, but more of them kept emerging in their place.

Kioku jumped back, "Ugh! These things just won't die!" He fell to the ground in exhaustion, as well as Spongebob and Patrick, as they were drained from fighting off the monsters. The monsters eerily moved towards them, threatening to end their lives. Kioku still gripped onto his Keyblade, glaring at the surrounding enemies.

"Kioku," Spongebob shouted in fear. "What are we gonna do, they just keep coming!"

"I—" Kioku panted, "I don't know!"

Just as one of the monsters charged towards Kioku, the boy had closed his eyes and threw up his Keyblade in defense. But he had heard the sound of another Keyblade slicing through the monster and vanquishing it. When the boy opened his eyes, he saw a large, crab-like figure dressed in a black coat. In it's hand, it held a Keyblade that looked similar to Kioku's yet that blade was golden and the guard of it was silver. The other monsters jumped at the cloaked figure, but it had leaped into the air and vaporized the monsters with destructive air strikes from his Keyblade. The cloaked figure landed on the ground and looked back at the three.

Kioku looked on in shock, but was soon trampled over by Spongebob and Patrick who were also in complete distraught.

"Your Majesty?"


	3. Chapter 2: The Mysterious Tower

_**Chapter 2: The Mysterious Tower**_

"Kioku," Spongebob shouted in fear. "What are we gonna do, they just keep coming!"

"I.." Kioku panted, "I don't know!"

Just as one of the monsters charged towards Kioku, the boy had closed his eyes and threw up his Keyblade in defense. But he had heard the sound of another Keyblade slicing through the monster and vanquishing it. When the boy opened his eyes, he saw a large, crab-like figure dressed in a black coat. In it's hand, it held a Keyblade that looked similar to Kioku's yet the blade was golden and the guard of it was silver. The other monsters jumped at the cloaked figure, but it had leaped into the air and vaporized the monsters with destructive air strikes from their Keyblade. The cloaked figure landed on the ground and looked back at the three.

Kioku looked on in shock, but was soon trampled over by Spongebob and Patrick who were also in complete distraught.

"Your Majesty?" Patrick said, looking at the mysterious black coat that had just saved their lives. The figure turned around and put a finger to his lips. "You lads need to board the train and leave town! The train knows the way!" The black coat spoke a whisper.

He took out a heavy pouch and handed it to Kioku, "Here, it had 5000 munny. It's enough to buy you three tickets." After he handed the boy the munny, the black coat quickly ran away before any of the three could question him.

"Wait, Your Majesty!" Spongebob called out to him, but he was already gone and out of sight. Kioku was still in shock, as he had thought he was still in the Realm of Darkness with Yoru. "Was that really the King?" He asked, still uncertain of the person under the black hood.

"It could've been," Spongebob scratched his head. "Yup! I know it was him!" Patrick cheered happily, jumping up and down in excitement. "Now we know he's okay!"

"Wait a second," Kioku said, folding his arms as he tried to wrap his head around it. "The king was locked in the Realm of Darkness, right?"

"Yeah!" Patrick nodded. Kioku smiled, "So if the king is here. That means Yoru's here too!" the teen said, coming to the conclusion.

"There's no doubt about it!" Spongebob said happily.

"Well, I'm gonna go look for Yoru," Kioku said, deciding to start his search for his best friend. "Then, he and I can go back to our town together. Taiyo's there waiting for us!" The teen chuckled and folded his hands behind his head. "What are you guy's gonna do?"

Spongebob and Patrick's smiles dropped and their faces projected a look of seriousness. The two groaned, "Well for the love of Neptune, Kioku. Do you have to ask?" Spongebob exhaled, folding his arms. Kioku snickered at the two, which made Patrick glare at him.

"Hey pal, what's so funny?" Patrick frowned at the keybearer. Kioku laughed, "Your faces!" Spongebob and Patrick turned to look and each other and saw that they both had funny-looking frowns on their faces, and soon burst out in laughter as well.

"Well, what do you say," Kioku started. "You guys ready to stick together for one last journey?" he asked. The two sea creatures nodded eagerly. "All for one and one for all, right?" Spongebob said as he smiled confidently.

Patrick looked around, "So, where are we going again?"

"We gotta get on the train," Spongebob reminded the starfish. "According to King Krabs, it must know the way to..somewhere..?" He exhaled.

"Well then, let's get going!" Kioku ordered.

* * *

 _ **-Twilight Town: Central Station-**_

As three had entered the station and got ready to walk up to the ticket counter to buy their tickets, they heard a familiar voice call out to them. "Hey, Kioku! Wait up!"

Kioku turned around and saw Nero and two other girls running up to them. Kioku had thought it was a bit odd that Nero would come back to meet him, but he didn't question it. "Oh, hey Nero." The boy waved.

Nero came to a stop in front of Kioku and smiled slightly. "Uh..what's up. We..uh.." Nero stumbled over his words, rubbing his neck nervously.

"We came to see you off," The pink haired girl said, finishing Nero's jumbled up sentence. "It just seemed like something we should do." She said, looking down at her feet. Kioku blushed, and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Oh, well thanks.."

"Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself." The pink hair girl giggled. "I'm Meru."

The dark haired girl smiled and waved, "And I'm Lena. Nero told us about that scuffle you got into with Groose."

One of the trains' bells had went off, signaling that it was almost time for it to leave. Kioku's heart had begin to race, and he felt butterflies in his stomach. When he looked back at the trains, he felt like he was going to leave the town for good. He was lost in thought until Nero had spoke to him. "Hey, you guys should hurry and get your tickets."

Kioku snapped out of his thoughts, "Oh yeah!"

He then walked over to the ticket counter and pulled out of the pouch of munny the King had given to them. The appearance of the pouch had caught one of the girls' attention. "Hey, that looked exactly like my pouch." She said, which made Kioku pause for a moment. "Huh, what do you mean?" he asked politely.

Meru reached into her bag and pulled out her own pouch, which looked a lot like the one King Krabs had given Kioku. "Yeah, they're the same. Kinda weird, huh?"

Spongebob tilted his head, "You can say that again." he commented.

The teen shrugged it off and turned back to the counter, "Three tickets, please." Kioku asked the tickey vendor politely. The boy exchanged the 5000 munny for the three tickets and turned back to face the trains that were up ahead. His throat had tightened, and his eyes started to burn. His lips quivered slightly, "I just can help feeling like I won't see this town again." Kioku blurted out.

Patrick gave the boy a puzzled look, "Why not, you said you've never been here before."

Spongebob shook his head and lightly shoved the boy forward, "It's nothing, you're just thinking too much." He sighed. Kioku cleared his throat ust before laughing at him for a second. "Haha, you're right."

The six of them had started to walk towards the purple train with the star and crescent designs. This must have been the train the King was talking about. Kioku felt his eyes getting watery and he sniffled. "Okay, let's get going."

The train's door had opened and Spongebob and Patrick waved goodbye to Nero and his friends. "See ya later, guys." The two waved as they entered the train to take their seats. Kioku turned to the three and looked at them with a weak smile. "Bye."

Nero rubbed his chin, "Kioku, you sure we've never met before, you look familiar." The boy asked, looking the boy up and down. The teen shook his head, "Nope, we've never met. Why do you ask?"

Nero chuckled and shrugged, "I dunno."

Kioku's lips quivered and he gave a chuckle, and he had then felt something wet trickling down his cheek. Nero, Lena and Meru's faces had dropped into a look of sympathy as they had witnessed the boy crying. Kioku touched his face and noticed that he was crying, "What the.." he wiped his face with his glove.

"Are you okay, Kioku?" Meru asked softly. Kioku nodded, "Yeah, that just happened out of nowhere."

"Jeez," Nero muttered, lightly punching the boy on his shoulder. "Pull it together, will ya?"

Kioku patted his face with his hands and nodded quickly, "Right," the boy then gave the three one last smile and another wave before he headed into the train. The boy spun around to face the outside, getting a glimpse of Nero and his friends one last time. He waved again just as the door slid shut. He leaned next to the window as the train had started to slowly pull off. From outside the window, he could see the three of them slowly following the train as it was slowly moving down the track. The boy's lips quivered again and he forced himself to look away from the window to avoid sobbing. Soon, the train had picked up speed and they had then left the station. The three of them could still see the town's beautiful sunset peaking in through the windows as the train moved down the tracks. Kioku exhaled sadly and looked over to Spongebob and Patrick. "You know.."

Spongebob and Patrick looked up at the boy as he had caught their attention. "What is it, Kioku?"

Another tear slid down his cheek, and he sniffled. "I'm sad."

The two sea creatured looked at each other with sympathetic looks on their faces and turned to look at Kioku. Spongebob smiled, "We'll be back.

"Yeah," Patrick added. "When we come back, we can see Nero and his buddies again!"

Kioku forced out a chuckle and nodded. "Yeah."

After a few seconds, a bright light had shined through the windows and the scenery on the outside had changed from a calming sunset, to a beautiful aurora sky filled with stars. The teen had went to take his seat next to Spongebob and Patrick and gently placed his head on Patrick's shoulder. "I'm tired." The boy yawned.

"Rest for as long as you need to, pal." Spongebob said in an unsual, motherly tone as he pat Kioku on his head. "After all, we don't know how long this trip is gonna be."

* * *

 _ **-Back in Twilight Town-**_

"Well, he's gone." Rembex announced as she looked out from Sunset Hill. Behind her was a tall, hooded man and sitting on a bench with her sketch book on her lap, was Zafira. The hooded spoke in a deep tone, "Let's go."

Rembex snickered and she looked back at the man, "Go where, you don't have any place to go." She looked over to Zafira. "And you don't have any place to go back to either."

Rembex turned around to face them and folded her arms. "Places like those don't exist for people like us."

"True," Zafira replied, not looking up from her sketch book. "Maybe there is nowhere for me to go." She spoke softly, her words causing Rembex's smirk to fade. "But I do have places I want to go, and people that I wish to see." Look down at a picture she drew, which depicted Kioku and his nobody, Ikkxou, sitting on the clock tower and eating ice cream together.

Rembex sighed, "Ehh..me too, kiddo." She looked over to the hooded man. "Hey, why don't you just let us go?" She asked. "That old guy asked you to get rid of us anyways, right?"

Zafira gasped and looked up at the hooded man, "DiZ, did he really say that?" she asked, holding her sketch book closer to her. The hooded man simply replied, "Go."

Rembex unfolded her arms and let them rest at her side, "Why don't you just finish your task here, big guy?" She asked in a snarky tone.

"I owe you guys," The hooded man replied.

Zafira's lips slightly curled into a smile, "Really?"

The hooded man nodded, "Yes, for the things that happened at Castle Oblivion."

Rembex nodded and stuck her hand out to the side, "Well then, thanks." With the snap of her wrist, she opened a Corridor of Darkness. Rembex looked over at Zafira and nodded her head towards the portal. Zafira nodded briefly and looked up at the hooded man. "I'm sorry." She muttered just as she just up and started to quickly walk into the portal of darkness. Rembex took one last look at the man. "Thanks again." she said as she walking into the portal, causing it to close shortly afterwards.

* * *

 _ **-Mysterious Tower-**_

 _ **(Field Theme: Magical Mystery)**_

The train soon arrived in what looked to be a countryside. The Countryside itself consisted of several hills apparently floating amongst the clouds in the endless sunset of Twilight Town, with several stars gleaming in the background. The train's horn had blared loudly, causing the three to quickly wake up from their naps. Kioku scattered up to his feet and wiped the drool from his lips. "D-Did we arrive somewhere..?" He asked sleepily.

The train's door slid open and the three exited the train sluggishly. The teen looked up and saw a surrealistic, crooked, golden-brown tower. The Tower is topped with blue cone-shaped turret roofs, decorated with moons and stars. The tower itself rests on the floating island that contains a courtyard and many trees that obscure the rest of the Countryside from view.

"Where are we?" Kioku asked, looking around to take in the surrounding of the area they had just arrived in. Spongebob and Patrick on the other hand, seemed to be familiar with the place. The sponge gasped, "I know where we are-this is Master Orca's tower!"

"Master Orca?" Kioku repeated in confusion.

"Master Orca is the King's master!" Patrick said, clearing the air for Kioku. The boy nodded, "Ah, sound's powerful."

As the three of them gotten closer to the tower, they saw a large, green-skinned bass peaking through the doors of the tower. The bass wore what seems to be armor colored in shades of brown and maroon overtop an orange, short-sleeved shirt. He wears dark orange and white sneakers with light orange fronts and two black straps keeping each one secure. His pants are brown, with two enormous pouches on either front side.

"What's going on?" Spongebob asked. The bass gave a snorty laugh.

"I sent some of my minions inside- to see if the master of this tower is as tough as people say he is." The bass spoke in an eager tone. "Word is, he's a powerful warrior who used to be able to wield a Keyblade. Which means he'll be the perfect body guard for me!" the bass laughed. He continued to ramble on. "You see, it doesn't matter how powerful is he-once he's a Heartless, he'll do whatever I tell him to!"

"A Heartless?!" Kioku exclaimed, jumping into a defensive stance.

"Yeah, a Heartless," The bass chuckled. "Those are the creatures that are born from the darkness is people's hearts. And with all of those Heartless at her side, my good friend Vicky is gonna conquer all worlds!"

"And since I have a debt to pay off, I'm going around to a bunch of different worlds and buidling up an army of Heartless. Just for her." The bass sighed. "Oh Vicky, she's so very pretty-yet so very cruel." The bass then waved them off. "But I shouldn't be talking to any of you bozos. So why don't you scram, I'm behind schedule!"

Spongebob folded his arms and scoffed in disgust, "You ought to find something nicer to do."

The bass turned around and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, "Oh yeah, says who?" He then gasped and exclaimed in surprise. "WHAT IN THE-IT'S YOU TWO!"

Spongebob and Patrick recoiled in shock, "Bubble Bass?!"

Bubble Bass clenched his fists angrily, glaring at Spongebob specifically. "And just what are _you_ doing here, SquarePants?!"

Spongebob shouted back, "What are you doing here?!" he repeated back to him. Kioku tilted his head, "Uhh—you guy's know 'im?"

Patrick nodded. "We sure do, Bubble Bass has been causing trouble for ages."

"He used to be a mage, just like Spongebob, but His Majesty banished him to another dimension after wrecking havoc around our world." Patrick explained. "I wonder how he escaped.."

Bubble Bass laughed loudly, "I was busted out, that's how. And now your world—scratch that— _all worlds_ , are going to belong to yours truly!" He shouted. The bass then blushed, "Because, Vicky is gonna help me conquer them!"

Kioku folded his arms, "Vicky?" He, along with Spongebob and Patrick burst out in laughter at Bubble Bass' statement, which made the fish grit his teeth in anger. "What are you idiots laughing at, Vicky is so powerful that-"

"She's done, dude." Kioku laughed. Patrick shook his head, "Yeah, Vicky's nowhere around to help you."

Bubble Bass gasped. "What?! What are you talking about?!" The fish then growled at them as he remembered. " _You're_ the ones that did it, didn't you?!"

Kioku folded his hands behind his head, "Well, we didn't fight them. But as far I remember, her and Plankton took on some friends of ours and well-I don't think it ended well." He smiled mischievously. Bubble Bass stomped his foot in anger.

"Oh yeah, well now you'll have to deal with me!" He shouted. "I summon you, my minions! Aid me in my battle to vanquish these fools!" Bubble Bass raised his hands and summoned some Heartless that had started to emerge from the ground. The Heartless were regular Shadows the Kioku and the others were familiar with.

Spongebob summoned his staff in a flash of light, "Oh I see, you still think you're a better mage than me?" He asked the large fish.

Bubble Bass scoffed, "Ha! Don't get cocky, Squarepants. You may have beaten me in the Mage Exams, but you won't beat me again! Besides, I've got a trick up my sleeve!"

Bubble Bass reached into his pocket and pulled out a few small balls. "Recognize these?"

Spongebob gasped, "You didn't!"

Kioku looked over at the apalled Spongebob, "What is it?"

"He's using instant magic!" Spongebob answered, pointing to the balls in Bubble Bass' hands. "They're little small spheres that can instantly cast any spell perfectly! Only _weak_ and unexperienced Mages use them."

"Weak?" Bubble Bass growled. "I'll show you weak!"

The large fish jumped off of the steps and landed in front of the three, getting into a threatening stance. The Heartless he summoned slolwy gathered around him, eerily prancing in place. Kioku glared at the fish and summoned his Keyblade.

* * *

 _ **(INFORMATION: Defeat Bubble Bass and his group of Heartless!)**_

 _ **(Battle Music: Working Together)**_

"Here, try some of this!" Bubble Bass taunted as he took out a few instant magic spheres and tossed them at the three. They manageds to dodge in time to avoid the spheres as they burst into flames, showing the group that he used Fira spheres. "With these instant magic balls, I won't need to train my skills for years on end! Just a toss and **BAM**! Perfect spells each time!"

Spongebob twirled his staff and charged at the large fish, "Only losers like you take the easy way out!" The sponge shouted as he aimed his staff and shot a large blast of flames at Bubble Bass. Due the the fish's weight, he was unable to dodge the spell and he caught on fire. Bubble Bass frantically ran around the area while trying to put the fire out.

Meanwhile, Patrick used his two shields to quickly make work of what little Heartless Bubble Bass summoned, while Kioku decided to take a crack at the large fish himself. He chased him around and swatted Bubble Bass with his Keyblade, making the large fiend yelp and cry in pain. The teen twisted his Keyblade and dashed forward with another powerful swipe, one which made Bubble Bass fall on his face.

Kioku took a step back and smirked, "Geez, what a pushover!" He chuckled to himself. Bubble Bass stood up and growled. He took out more instant magic and threw them at Kioku, this time the spheres bursting open and causing lightning bolts to rain down on the teen. But the keybearer had luckily rolled out of the way at the attack just in time.

Bubble Bass pulled out a few more instant magics and glared at the three, "You will not make a fool out of me!" he screamed in embarrassment. Just as he was about to toss the spheres, Patrick had quickly send one of his shields flying towards the villain and managed to disarm him by hitting him in the wrist. Bubble Bass screamed in pain and the instant magic fell to the ground and burst open and caused a clock to appear over his head and freeze him.

Kioku held his Keyblade over his shoulder, "He's..frozen in time?"

"Yeah," Spongebob nodded. "It's a time-based spell called, Stop. Pretty useful in this case."

Patrick ran over to collect his shield and even gave Bubble Bass a kick in his shin. Once he returned to Kioku and Spongebob's side, they all turned to look up at the large, surrealistic tower.

"So, Master Orca is in there?" Kioku asked, making both Spongebob and Patrick nod.

"He's probably waiting for us, so we had better get up there." Spongebob suggested as he started towards the door of the tower.

"What about Bubble Bass?" Patrick asked, pointing back at the time frozen fish. Kioku shook his head, "He'll be fine. That Stop spell should hold him. Besides once that spell wears off, we'll be long gone."

"Oh, okay." The starfish nodded, exhaling with relief. Now, the three were to go and meet with Master Orca, King Krab's teacher. Kioku wondered what would be in store for him, and what his upcoming journey was going to consist of.


	4. Chapter 3: The Key That Connects

**Chapter 3: The Key That Connects Everything**

 _-Mysterious Tower: Wayward Stairs-_

After they entered the tower, they encountered some of the Heartless Bubble Bass had sent inside. And as the three traveled up the stairs, they had to exterminate any and all Heartless they came across to avoid them reaching Master Orca...wherever he was. After climbing a few flights of stairs and taking out another group of Heartless, Kioku and the others reached a room at the top of the steps and decided to rest.

"Heartless, Heartless, Heartless!", Spongebob groaned. "Things haven't changed one bit!"

Patrick swiped the sweat from his forehead and shrugged, "Well, at least we're here to take them out, right?"

Kioku rested his Keyblade on his shoulder. He sighed, "The worlds aren't at peace, then? What the heck, man.." He hung his head. Kioku then looked over and saw a door on the other side of the room. "Let's hurry up and get to Master Orca."

The three then carried on through the remainder of the tower, fighting more Heartless along the way and soon they reached the top of the stairs, where a large door had waited for them.

* * *

 _-Mysterious Tower: The Master's Loft-_

As the three entered the room, they saw an elderly man sitting at a large table with a large wooden stick by his side. He wore an open purple robe and had a long gray beard. Spongebob and Patrick quickly rushed over to the table and bowed, leaving a clueless Kioku behind.

"Master Orca, it's an honor." Spongebob bowed. Kioku walked over to the table and waved casually, "Hey!"

Almost immediately, he was scolded by Spongebob. "Kioku! Why don't you show some respect!"

Master Orca shook his head and put his hand up, "Now, now...it's alright." He then looked over to the teen. "So, you are Kioku. Have you seen the King yet?"

Patrick nodded, "Yeah, but we didn't get to talk to him!"

The old man stroked his beard, "Yes, that old crab has been busy as of late. So that means I have to take on the task of instructing you. You three have a perilous journey ahead of you, so you need to be well prepared."

"A-Another quest?" Kioku asked. "I was looking forward to finding my friend Yoru, so that we could go back to our town together." He explained. Master Orca nodded.

"I know, however, everything in your journey, Kioku, is connected." The old man said. "Whether you will find your way home to your town, whether you will return home alone or with your friend. And, whether or not the town will still be there." Master Orca explained, making Kioku scrunch his face. "And the key that connects all of that, is you Kioku..."

The teen gasped, "I'm the key?" he asked. Kioku then stepped back and held out his hand, and in a flash of light his Keyblade appeared in his hand, making Spongebob and Patrick jump slightly.

Master Orca cackled, "Chosen wielder of the Keyblade! You are the one who will open the door to the light!"

The teen gave the old man an intense stare and nodded. He then rested his arm, "Can I ask a question?" Master Orca nodded in approval.

"How come the Heartless are still around?" Kioku asked.

"It's simple, your past endeavors did prevent an immense effusion of Heartless. No doubt about that." Master Orca answered. "However, the Heartless are darkness made real..and there is darkness is every heart. The Heartless are fewer, but as long as darkness dwells in every heart, it will be impossible to eliminate them completely."

Kioku, Spongebob and Patrick sighed with disappointment. Patrick raised his head, "But what if everyone's heart was full of light? Would the Heartless go away then?" he asked.

"Now you're talkin'!" Kioku smiled.

Master Orca slammed his wooden stick on the ground, "Alright, alright. Quiet down, it's time to discuss the enemies you'll encounter on your journey, so listen up." The old man then pointed his staff to the side and in a flash of light a holographic image of Spongebob appeared. Then, the image of Spongebob had morphed into a Shadow.

"If one such as Spongebob were to yield to the darkness in their heart, they will become a Heartless. They are always lurking, and seeking to catch another heart. So always keep your guard up." Master Orca explained. "But, you all already know this."

The three nodded at Master Orca's words. The old mad smirked, "Now then," He pointed his staff next to the holographic image of Heartless and appearing next to it was an image of the white creatures Kioku had fought before. The boy gasped, "Hey, I know those guys! We fought them back in Twilight Town!"

"Yes, Kioku.." Master Orca nodded. "Sometimes, when a person that possess a strong heart and will becomes a Heartless, the empty shell they leave behind starts to act on it's own. An empty vessel, whose heart has been stolen away. A spirit that goes on, even as it's body fades from existence, for you see...Nobodies do not truly exist." The old man explained. "They may seem to feelings, but don't believe it for a second. Those things only pretend to have hearts."

Kioku beared a look of sympathy on his face, "Geez, Nobodies don't exist.."

"Yeah," Patrick said. "Kinda sad.."

The two images of the Heartless and the Nobody disappeared and were replaced with three of the same white monster. "These are Dusks, they are the most common Nobody. But, there are other types of Nobodies that all have unique powers..so be vigilant." Master Orca warned the three. "On your journey, you will encounter these Dusks-and they will try to do you harm. Still, they are nothing more than empty shells destined to return to the darkness...but,"

The three images of the Dusks had then disappeared and was replaced with images of three figures wearing black coats. The figures in the black coats looked very intimidating and challenging, even for Kioku's standards. "The beings you see before you are very different. These powerful Nobodies have formed a group called the Syndicate XIII, and they command the lesser Nobodies."

The name of the group had sounded familiar to Kioku, "Huh, Syndicate XIII.." he repeated. He looked over to both Spongebob and Patrick to see if anything rung a bell, but they only shook their heads.

Master Orca continued, "While Heartless act on instinct, Nobodies can act in a higher manner. They can think and plan. And it seems that they are working towards a goal. What that goal is, we do not know. The king has sensed the danger and he journeyed forth to fight it. He found the dark realm's Keyblade and with it, he closed the door. And now, he's traveling from world to world, fighting the Heartless and seeking the riddle to the Nobodies and the Syndicate XIII."

Kioku punched his hand, "Well, look's like we need to find the King first,"

Patrick shrugged. "But where could he be?"

"We won't know unless we start looking!" Spongebob chimed in.

"And the King must know where Yoru is, because he was with him in the realm of darkness when we closed the door!" The teen smiled. "After we defeated Vlad and all.."

Master Orca chuckled, "But before you go, you'll need more appropriate traveling clothes." He said, pointing to Kioku's shortened and uncomfortable looking outfit. "Those look a bit too small for you,"

Spongebob commented, "Wow Kioku, you sure do grow fast!"

Kioku blushed and rubbed the back of his head, "Yeah, I guess so."

Master Orca then shouted loudly, "THARJA! COME HERE!" He turned to the three of them. "Tharja is my personal assistant, she's a very odd girl but she will be able to create new garments for you."

Coming in from the other room was a girl dressed in dark clothing, with dark hair. In her hands, she held a book close to her chest and she had a shy look on her face. She quickly glanced a Kioku, who had given her a polite smile, and her face turned red and she quickly looked away. "Y-Yes, Master Orca?"

"Please give my good boy Kioku some better clothing for his journey. The clothes he currently has on, will simply not do." Master Orca shook his head. Tharja blushed and walked over to Kioku, coming nearly face to face with him. "Hi.." she said softly.

Kioku chuckled nervously, "Uhm..hi.."

"Do you want me to give you new clothes?" The girl asked shyly. Kioku nodded, "Please?"

She then took Kioku's hand and pulled him into the other room, with Spongebob and Patrick following the two.

* * *

 _-Mysterious Tower: Wardrobe-_

"Come here." Tharja commanded as she lead Kioku into the Wardrobe. She then turned around to face Kioku and took a few steps back. She opened her book and quickly scanned her finger over a few pages. "Now, hold still.."

"O-Okay.." Kioku nodded.

Tharja waved her finger, causing a small wisp of magic to swirl around her hand and then she shot the magic towards Kioku and it immediately changed the boy's clothing. Kioku's overalls had then been changed into a gothic, leather type of outfit. He wore a fishnet shirt and gloves with black leather pants and black boots. "What the?!" He exclaimed, a deep red blush forming over his face.

Tharja gasped as she got a look of what the boy's clothes had changed into, her face burning red. "Oh my..those won't do..sadly.." Tharja bit her lip as she gave Kioku a dirty gaze. Kioku shuffled around uncomfortably, "Please..change me into something more.."

With another flick of magic, Kioku's clothes had transformed into a green tunic and hat, with brown boots. The boy looked at himself with unease and gave a light chuckle. "I..don't think these will do either.."

Tharja huffed and shot another blast of magic at Kioku, changing his clothing into something different. "How about this?"

Kioku's clothes had then been turned into a maid's dress, fit with the headdress and stocking. The boy exclaimed in embarrassment. "I-Is this a joke?! There's no way i'm going out looking like this!"

Tharja groaned with impatience. She then flipped some pages in her book, until she stopped and found a page that caught her eye. "Oh! I see.." She looked up at Kioku, "Hold still!"

Kioku looked away, "Fine.." Tharja shot a blast of magic at Kioku's clothes and this time a brighter light had enveloped the room, making Spongebob and Patrick shield their eyes.

When the light cleared, Kioku's clothes had finally fit him while looking rather stylish. In exchange for overalls, Kioku instead donned a short-sleeved hoodie, which was mainly colored grey with six buttons, with white lining with the hood being black. His sleeves are grey with white lines separating them from the white edging. Kioku's gloves were colored black on the outside and white on the inside with a dark blue line running around them. His shirt was a dark navy color with a zipper running down the middle, and was tucked into his longer and sleeker, black shorts with a dark blue belt that is held together by a silver belt buckle. His pockets are grey with white edging. His shoes were black and grey with black straps with a white lining separating the soles, which were dark grey.

Spongebob and Patrick exclaimed in surprise, "Whoa!"

Kioku got a look at his new clothing and smiled to himself, "I look so cool!" He moved around to test the clothing's flexibility, and they felt sleeker and less baggy than his old attire. Suddenly, his Keyblade had then appeared in his hand. Tharja smiled, "Those aren't ordinary clothes, they possess special powers." She then summoned a small yellow orb to appear in front of Kioku. "Take the orb and watch what happens."

Kioku reached out and touched the orb, making it absorb into his body. Soon, he felt an immense power course through his body and he thrust his hands out to his side. A large orb surrounded his body and he burst out from it. When the light cleared, he saw that his new clothes had now bared an red and black color schemes, with a grey camouflage design on his shirt and pants . But not only that, but his Keyblade had transformed into two shields. "Holy!"

Patrick gasped, "Your Keyblade...it changed?!"

"Mother of Neptune!" Spongebob exclaimed.

"Y-Your journey is gonna be twice as difficult as your last," Tharja commented, making Kioku slump over and groan. "Your clothes have other powers, but you'll have to discover what they are as you continue on your journey."

Kioku's clothes had then reverted back to it's black and dark gray appearance, along with his other Keyblade reverting and dismissing itself. "Okay, I'll do my best. And thanks a lot, Tharja!" The boy walked towards the girl and hugged her, making her become flustered. "U-Uh..umm.."

Tharja then shoved Kioku away, "M-Master Orca also has something else he wants to give you!" she stuttered.

Spongebob gasped happily, "Really?! Well let's go see!"

* * *

 _-Back in the Loft-_

As the four of them walked into the Loft, they saw Master Orca standing by the huge cresent shaped window. Soon, a familiar ship had levitate up by the window, making the three exclaim happily. "Holy mackeral! It's the Gummi Ship!" Spongebob squealed. The three quickly ran over to the window to get a closer look at it, and it seemed to be in perfect condition. Although Kioku didn't know how it got out of Terminus de Mundus.

The teen turned to his two friends,"You guys ready to go?" he asked. Spongebob and Patrick nodded, and then they turned to face Master Orca, who had gotten ready to say something. "Now because of your previous endeavors, the worlds have returned to their original states. That means, the pathways between them have disappeared." the old man explained.

Kioku sighed, "Well, how do we get around?"

"Now, now boys," Master Orca said, trying to calm them down. "If what the King suspected proves true, the worlds have created new pathways for you to travel on. These pathways can be utilized by unlocking special gates. How they are opened, I do not know.." He explained. "However, the Keyblade will serve as your guide. When a beam of light radiated from your Keyblade, return to the Gummi ship."

Kioku looked down at his hand and summoned his Keyblade in a flash of light. "Got it."

Master Orca gently nodded, "The worlds may seem far apart and out of reach, but they nonetheless remain connected by invisible ties. As do our hearts."

"Our hearts are connected." Kioku said.

"Very correct," Master Orca smiled. "But be warned, as you proceed, the Heartless and the Nobodies will be using their own pathways called 'Corridors of Darkness' to travel from world to world. They may be attempting to link these dark pathways to the gates between the worlds."

"That's not fair!" Patrick frowned.

Master Orca sighed. "Now, that's all the information I can give you. Go forth, Kioku, Spongebob and Patrick. Everyone is waiting!"

Kioku, Spongebob and Patrick gave the old man a salute. "Thank you, we really appreciate the help!" Patrick smiled and pointed towards the door. "Now lets go!"

The three had then quickly ran out of the door to get to the gummi ship that was waiting for them.

* * *

 _-The Lanes in Between-_

Kioku, Spongebob and Patrick felt a swarm of nostalgia as they sat inside of the Gummi Ship. They remembered the number of worlds they went to last year until they had suddenly went to sleep. "Man, it feels really good to be back!" Kioku yawned.

"You said it!" Spongebob cheesed. Soon, a few hi-pitched voices had began to speak to them through the intercom. "So, you must be Kioku, Spongebob and Patrick.."

The teen looked around, "Uh..yeah, we are. Who are you guys?"

The intercom cut on and one of the voices introduced themselves. "We're your new Gummi engineers, Alvin, Simon and Theodore!"

"Huh, gummi engineers?" Patrick asked in confusion.

"Yeah, we're the ones that got this baby up and runnin'" Alvin snickered. "You can thank us later."

Theodore chimed in, "Anyways, if there's anything you need to know, just give us a ring!"

"Gotcha," Kioku nodded. "Thanks!"

The three then peered out into the space full of stars to see if any worlds were around, but they only found one. Kioku gasped, "Just ONE?!"

Spongebob sighed, "Ugh..that's no good.." Patrick then smiled, "Wait, I think it's a world we know!"

Kioku got a closer look at the world, and he noticed that it was Hollow Bastion. He smiled, "Hey, Link and everyone else is there!"

"Yeah, Link, Zelda and Lana!" Spongebob smiled. "C'mon, let's go visit them!"

Then teen then pushed forward on the stick and made the Gummi Ship blast off towards Hollow Bastion, a place where Kioku's friends from Daybreak Town had originally lived before the destruction of the worlds.


	5. Chapter 4: Restoration

_**Chapter 4: Restoration**_

 _ **-Hollow Bastion: Market Place-**_

"AH! Heartless!"

The surrounding crowd of people scattered frantically as the Heartless had emerged right from under them. Within seconds, Shadows were quickly attacking and chasing the townspeople. One Shadow had jumped onto a woman's head, causing her to fall onto the ground and scream while trying to get it off. "AH! SOMEBODY HELP ME!" She cried, desperately trying the get the rowdy Shadow off of her. Coming from around the corner was a blue-haired girl, who was spinning her Deku staff as she groaned in an annoyed tone. The girl gripped her staff and shouted, "Quickly! Get out of the way!"

The woman pushed the Shadow off and quickly ran out of the way as the girl shot a ball of scalding hot water at the Heartless, vaporizing it on impact. She noticed another group of Heartless emerging and decided to take action. The girl dismissed her staff and summoned a large book and quickly opened it. Then, a man garbed in green had rushed out from behind her and ignited a bomb and chucked it at the Shadows. "Lana! Now!"

Lana pointed at the horde of Shadows and just instantly created a large cube shaped barrier around them, trapping them in with the bomb. After a few seconds, the bomb exploded within the cubed barrier and vaporized all of the Heartless trapped inside. Lana pointed at the barrier again and shattered it, resulting in the bystanders clapping at the two.

"Thank you very much, you two!" An older man said gratefully.

"We very much appreciate you guys' help!" Another woman said, bowing lightly. Link chuckled and waved. Then, a mother and her small child approached the two, with her son staring directly up at Link. The small boy hid behind his mom's legs bashfully.

"Hi, we were here picking up groceries when those Heartless attacked." The mother explained. "And well, me and my son would just like to come over and thank you. My son really enjoyed seeing those nasty monsters getting taken out."

Her son quickly hid his face as Link looked down at him. His mother giggled, "Haha, I guess he's a bit shy about meeting his hero."

"H-Hero?" Link stuttered, his face turning red. "That's really kind and all, but we were just doing what we could to keep this place safe." He explained. The mother chuckled at Link's expression.

"Oh, don't be so modest." She giggled. "You're a hero to all of us! Keep up the good work you two!" And with that, the mother and her son walked away. Lana looked up at Link and started to tease him, "Aw, are you blushing?"

Link shook his head and walked away to the Bailey, the teen girl soon following behind him. The two approached the balcony and over looked the old castle, the one where Vlad and all of his lackey's resided last year. But now it was destroyed, making it impossible to serve as a place to live in. Link took a deep breath and sighed, and without turning an eye, he spoke with Lana. "We're heroes to these people, huh?"

Lana nodded, "Yup, I guess so."

Link shook his head again as he glared at the castle. "I wish we could achieve peace. These people would be able to live without the fear of the Heartless. And we wouldn't need to fight." He said. Lana rested her on the balcony, "Yeah, I hear you."

Soon, they heard more screams and the sounds of the Heartless appearing again. Link groaned, "Damn it, not again."

Lana sighed, "Guess peace is a long way off, huh?" she shrugged just before running into town. Link unsheathed his Master Sword and smirked to himself, "A _long_ way off.." He then turned to look back at the old, abandoned castle just before running back into town.

* * *

 _ **-Hollow Bastion: ? ? ?-**_

"BUBBLE BASS!" A girl's voice shouted. "Get over here, now!"

Bubble Bass, who was scrubbing the floors, had quickly wrung out the towel into the bucket and dried his hands on his apron. "Y-Yes, Mistress!" He responded in a stutter. He jumped up to his feet and raced over to Vicky, who was slouching lazily in her throne. She looked at the large bass with a sinister smile and pointed over to her sneakers, "Shoe shine, please?"

Bubble Bass pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, "Bu-Bu-Bu-But didn't I already shine them, M'Lord?"

Vicky's smile dropped as she wiped her finger on her shoes, "They're all dusty now! So shine 'em again!" She ordered at the top of her lungs. "It's this stupid castle that's making everything so filthy."

Bubble Bass nodded and quickly raced over to Vicky and had started to shine her shoes for her. "Yes, I agree, M'Lord. I have to say that our previous castle was much more nicer than this one." Vicky nodded just before kicking Bubble Bass in the head, "Before it got destroyed!"

Vicky could see the view of her old castle from a large, jagged window in her throne room. She sighed aggressively, "Once they're done with the renovation, we can move back in. Then we'll make sure that any no-hearted twerps come and wreck the place." Vicky said. "The castle used to be Vlad's..'til he got completely decimated by those three dweebs. And just when I finally get a whole castle to myself, it gets destroyed."

Bubble Bass stopped shining her sneakers and looked up at Vicky, "Say, how did it get demolished so easily?"

Vicky punched the fish in the head again, "You idiot, you know exactly why! And it was your fault to begin with!" Bubble Bass rubbed his head and chuckled sheepishly, "Oh yeah..right.."

The teen went on, "That dumb ass could've been in league with us, but instead he wanted bite the hand that offered to feed him." Vicky glared at Bubble Bass. "And I hope you don't try to pull any of that, right?"

The bass nodded eagerly, "Of course not, M'Lady. I would never betray the likes of you! Besides, I have to repay for the whole castle thing, anyways." Vicky smiled at Bubble Bass' answer.

" _Good.._ " She purred, caressing his face gently. Bubble Bass blushed intensely, "H-Huh?"

"'Cause if you even think about betraying me, I'll kill you." Vicky smiled, making Bubble Bass' facial expression change quickly. She kicked her foot, gesturing for the fish to stop shining her shoes and stood up. "Alright, enough with this crap. It's time to get to work."

Vicky thrust her hand out to the side and opened a Corridor of Darkness, "Visit some worlds and release some Heartless into 'em." She ordered. Bubble Bass rubbed his stomach as he looked at the portal. "Excuse me, Mistress.."

"What?" Vicky rolled her eyes. The bass twiddled his thumbs, "Well, it's just that when I use the Corridors of Darkness, I get kinda sick."

"Aren't you a Mage? Just use a spell that protects you." She responded. The bass shrugged, "Those type of spells don't come in spheres."

"Weakling..", Vicky groaned and snapped her fingers, causing a wisp of darkness to swirl around the large fish. "There, I just cast a spell that allows you to use these without getting sick."

"Thank you, M'lord." Bubble Bass bowed. He then started to walk into the portal, but he stopped to ask a question. "Say, why do we need so many Heartless? We already have enough."

Vicky folded her arms, "You idiot. Don't you know what 'world domination' means?" She asked. Bubble Bass raised a finger, "Why yes..but-"

"Every single Heartless we place in every world will be under our control." Vicky explained. "So, everything in every world will be ours.

Bubble Bass rubbed his hands together, "Not sure what that means, but I'm on my way!" The fish then hurried into the portal, making it come to a swirling close as it disappeared. Vicky chuckled to herself and sat back down on her throne. She rested her fist under her chin and crossed her leg over the other one. "Everything will be _mine_..." She cackled.

* * *

 _ **-Hollow Bastion: Market Place-**_

 _ **-Field Theme: Reviving Hollow Bastion-**_

Kioku, Spongebob and Patrick had finally arrived in Hollow Bastion. And while a year ago, when this world was crawling with Heartless and almost inhabitable for anyone, currently it seemed like a safe place to live. It had shops and lots of people casually walking around with the worry of a Heartless attacking them.

"Wow, this place sure does look more lively than what it used to be." Kioku commented as he took in the sights. Spongebob and Patrick looked around to make sure no Heartless were around.

"Yeah," Spongebob nodded. "Unlike last time, this place was a ghost town filled to the brim with Heartless and other scary things. Now, it looks like a regular town."

The teen folded his hand behind his head and walked forward with a sigh, "Yup, and hopefully it stays that way." Kioku said. The last thing they needed was to have Hollow Bastion nearly flooded with Heartless again. All of these people would lose their hearts, and spawn Heartless and possible Nobodies that they've have to fight. Kioku sighed at the thought of how much of a pain that would be.

But just as the three were about to leave the Market Place, they were stopped by two dark skinned teenagers. One of them were skinny, while the other one was more plump and sported dreadlocks.

"Hello there, gentleman, " The wide-bodied teen greeted. "My name in Kenan Rockmore and this is my partner in crime, Kel Kimble." Kioku glanced at the two and waved, "Hiya.."

"You three look pretty hungry, and boy do we have a treat for you." Kenan winked as he reached into the large freezer behind him and pulled out three orange ice cream bars. Kel smiled at the three, "They're orange soda-flavored!"

Kioku and Spongebob looked hesitant to take the ice cream, but Patrick willingly took one from Kenan and had started to eat. "Don't mind if I do!"

"It's one of our newer products, as we are salesman." Kenan smiled. Kioku folded his arms as he took in the two's odd appearance. They definitely weren't from this world. "Say, you two aren't from around here, are you?" Spongebob asked.

"Oh, nope!" Kel answered as he shook his head. "Me and Kenan's world was destroyed by the Heartless. But luckily our families survived, so we live here now." He explained.

"And we decided to become professional salesman to make some money!" Kenan added. He held out to the two ice cream bars to Kioku and Spongebob. "But since you guys are our first customers, these are on the house. Next time, you gotta pay up."

Kioku chuckled, "Sure thing." He took the two ice cream bars from Kenan and handed one of them to Spongebob. The two started to eat and were soon amazed by how good they tasted.

"Wow," Kioku smiled. "Not bad." Patrick, who had already eaten his, gave his critique as well. "That was pretty yummy!"

"Anyone who loves orange soda would definitely like this." Spongebob said as he took another bite from his ice cream. Kenan slapped Kel on his back, "Well this guy here absolutely _LOVES_ orange soda. A total orange soda fanatic."

Kioku turned to Kel, "Wow, is it true?" He asked curiously. Kel then burst out happily and shouted loudly, " _ **OH I DO, I DO, I DO-OOOOOOHHHH!"**_

Just before Kioku and the others could respond to Kel's sudden outburst, a Soldier Heartless had appeared right before them and startled the two boys. "AAHH! KENAN, IT'S ONE OF THEM!"

Kioku summoned his Keyblade, "Heartless!" the boy then took a swing at it, but the monster had swiftly dodged it and started to prance further into town quickly. Spongebob and Patrick summoned their weapons, "Look's like it's time to do some fighting." The starfish commented.

"Seems so." Kioku sighed. "Let's hurry up and catch it before it causes trouble!" And with that, the three quickly ran in pursuit of the Soldier to prevent it from calling reinforcements to attack anyone or anything.

* * *

 _ **-Hollow Bastion: Borough-**_

Kioku readied himself as he saw the Soldier completely defenseless and opened to attack. He wound up his Keyblade and cocked back, "Take this!" But just as he was about to completely smite the monster, a small sphere of light appeared underneath it and vaporized it by flying up and slicing right through it. The keybearer nearly fell over, and regained his balance. Spongebob and Patrick ran to catch up with him, and they too caught a glimpse of the sphere of light moving up and down.

Kioku squinted his eyes, "What is it?"

"Whatever it is, it seems like it's fighting against the Heartless." Spongebob added, dismissing his staff in a flash of light. Soon, a voice answered Kioku's question. "That's the town's defense mechanism. We call it 'Claymore'."

Coming out from around the corner, was Lana. A girl that fought alongside Kioku, Spongebob and Patrick at Vlad's Castle. She looked no different than before, still retaining her youthful and healthy appearance. "Long time no see, Kioku!"

"Lana!" Kioku waved happily. "How's it goin'?!"

Lana waved back, "Not much, just fixing this place up. C'mere, I'll tell you all about it." Kioku and the other quickly raced over to meet with her and the four of them went over to the Bailey.

* * *

The four of them stood at the Bailey, overlooking the large, rusted castle that stood in the distance. That castle had served as the battlegrounds for Kioku and his enemies. One of them being Yoru. He remembered sacrificing himself to release Taiyo's heart, and even fighting off large Heartless monsters with Link and his gang. Kioku even remembered Taiyo giving him a kiss just before him, Spongebob and Patrick went to Terminus de Mundus to face off against Vlad for the final battle.

"Dang, I can't believe it's only been a year." Kioku said as he looked over at the large castle, that was now nothing but a large rusty mess, but it looked like it was being fixed up. "The castle's being renovated," Lana stated.

"Look's great so far!" Patrick commented cheerfully. Kioku looked over at Lana, "You guys have come a long way. This place looks a lot better than what it used to be." He said. The girl sighed, "Well, we're still putting the pieces together, but this is our home." Lana said softly, just before turning to look at Kioku. "I want it to be peaceful, no matter how long it takes."

"Well, is there anything we can do to help?" The teen asked. Lana nodded, "Yeah, Link will be so glad when he sees you guys. We've been having so much trouble as of late." She shrugged. A Nobody had then appeared right in front of them, only to be obliterated instantly by the Claymore. Lana nodded, "Yup, and there goes one of the problems."

A light then popped into Kioku's head, "Oh right, have you seen Yoru or the King?" He asked, almost having forgot about one of his main objectives. "Did they happen to come here?"

The girl shook her head, "Nope. You still haven't found them?"

Kioku, Spongebob, and Patrick looked at each other and exhaled sadly. "No.." The three of them groaned in unison. Lana pouted at their answer and gestured for them to follow her somewhere. "Well, c'mon. Let's go meet up with Link and the others. Our hideout is this way!"

"A Hideout?" Kioku repeated. He then chuckled, "Some things never change.." The three of them then followed Lana's lead to wherever Link's hideout was. Deep down, Kioku was excited to meet Link again, and he even remembers what he said to him when they were together last time. _"We may never meet again, but we'll never forget each other."_

But, he knows they won't have time to catch up. As they'll need to focus on the problems happening in the town of Hollow Bastion. With the Heartless and the Nobodies around, they're a long way away from achieving complete peace.


	6. Chapter 5: The Syndicate

_**Chapter 5: The Syndicate**_

Somewhere in the Borough, inside of a small house were a group of people discussing plans of getting rid of the large amount of Heartless that was filling up the canyon that lied in another part of the town.

"Alright, today we're gonna try to figure out what we're gonna do about the Heartless crowding up the canyon." Solid Snake asked, as he leaned against the wall with a cigarette dangling out of his mouth.

Jimmy, who was working on the large computer, spun around in his swivel chair to face everyone else. "For the time being, we'll need to reinforce security in the town. We'll also need to go over Claymore's programming some more." The boy stated.

Snake grunted angrily, "Another all-nighter, eh?"

Link turned to Jimmy, who had continued to type away at the computer, "Sorry, Jimmy." He apologized. Jimmy shrugged, "Eh, it's my job isn't it?"

Laying down on the couch and reading a magazine, was Meryl, who was one of Snake's partners back in their own world. "Hey, don't you have to pull another all-nighter, Link? With you making the rounds and all."

Link nodded and folded his arms, "Defense will only get us so far. We need to find a way to eliminate them completely." He said. Snake smirked, "We could plant a few bombs over there by the canyon. Taking them out in droves would be a nice idea."

Lucina and Robin, who were sitting at the table, had overheard Snake's idea. The blue haired swordswoman scoffed, "Yeah, it sounds like a good idea. But wouldn't the bombs cause damage to the area even if we do take most of them out?"

Robin added, "Besides, we wouldn't want to spend time fixing up the canyon." Link shrugged and turned to Snake, "Yeah, they're right. We wouldn't want to cause any damage to the canyon."

Snake groaned and puffed his cigarette a few times. "Okay. Then what do you have in mind?"

Coming in from the kitchen was Zelda, who was bringing everyone cups of coffee. She sat the tray of coffee in the middle of the table, "Well, we have to take them out one by one, right?" She asked.

"Yeah," Snake replied grumpily. "But for every _one_ that we take out, another appears to take it's place!" The older man shook his head and returned to his cigarette. "I hate those damn things.."

Poofing into house in a cloud of smoke was Mr. Wizard, a scientist and sorcerer who had helped everyone, including Kioku and the gang, in the past. He noticed the sad and frusterated looks on everyone's face. "Still tryin' to solve the Heartless problem?"

Robin sipped his coffee, "Yup, and it seems like no matter what, nobody can come up with a good solution."

But then, bursting into the door was Lana, Kioku, Spongebob, and Patrick. The girl waved happily, "Hey guys, look who's here!"

Once Kioku got into the house, he noticed everyone's shocked and surprised expressions. The entire house went silent and everyone's eyes were on Kioku and his partners. Lana smiled at the boy, "Meet Hollow Bastion's guardian angels, Team U.N.I.T.E!"

Kioku waved, "Long time no see, huh?" The boy said awkwardly. Meryl looked over at Robin with a smirk, "Hey, I think we found our 'solution'."

Suddenly, everyone had began to speak at once. Zelda gasped, "We missed you!"

"Gee, you three look great!" Jimmy smiled, rubbing the back of his head.

"How's it going, guys?" Robin waved with a smile.

"Great timing if anything." Lucina winked at the three.

Snake nodded at Kioku, "Lookin' great, kid." Meryl sat up and waved, "Heya! You sure have grown since the last time I saw you!"

Mr. Wizard gave a subtle nod, "Nice seeing you again, boys."

Link folded his arms and smirked. "I knew it." Kioku looked at Link, "Knew what?" He asked curiously.

"A while back, we all remembered you three all at the same time." Link explained. The three gasped at the man's statement. Kioku folded his arms stubbornly, "So you _FORGOT_ about us?!"

"Thanks a lot, guys!" Spongebob scoffed. Lana raised a question, "So where have you guys been this whole time?"

"We've been sleepin'" Patrick replied, making Snake looked back up at them. "Where at, cold storage?" The man asked playfully.

Kioku chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck, "Well..you're not too far off."

"Oh stop it, Snake!" Zelda giggled. "It doesn't matter now that we're together again."

"Um, anyways.." Kioku stuttered nervously. "We're trying to find Yoru and the King, you guys seen 'em around?" He asked. Everyone else in the room shook their heads, causing Kioku to sigh in disappointment.

"Hey, don't look so sad," Lucina started. "Let us know if you need any help, okay?" She said, smiling sincerely. Kioku nodded, "Right. Thanks.."

Snake glared at the boy, "Don't go thankin' us just yet.."

"Hollow Bastion's got a problem," Link stated darkly. "A big problem."

"Like Nobodies and Heartless?" Spongebob asked confidently. He then stretched, "Yup, Lana told us everything on our way here."

"Sounds like you do need our help." Kioku nodded, giving Link a serious look. Link smiled, "Then let's cut to the chase." He then walked close towards Kioku. "Look you three, we were hoping that you'd give us all a hand here."

Kioku cheesed and folded his hands behind his head, "Like we were just gonna say 'no'?"

Link chuckled to himself and gave the boy a smirk, "Right, I forgot who I was dealing with." The man muttered.

Patrick put his hands on his hips, "Hey..what do you mean by that?"

Zelda giggled and placed a hand on Link's shoulder. "Think of it as a sort of, 'Link compliment'." The dark blonde haired man then walked towards the front door and opened it, he looked back. "Follow me to the Bailey, there's something I want you three to see."

And with that, Link had left to the Bailey. Just as Kioku, Spongebob and Patrick were about to follow, Mr. Wizard had stopped them in their tracks. "Just a moment. How's your magic, Kioku?"

The boy paused and shrugged, "Well, I think I've gotten a bit rusty." He said with a sheepish smile. Lana chimed in, "Well you were asleep, after all."

Mr. Wizard sighed and shook his head, "Ah, what am I to do with you..?" He then took out his wand and gave it a twirl. "I'll lend you a few spells, but be sure to practice with them."

Kioku nodded, "Alright, no problem."

Mr. Wizard then waved his wand around and pointed it at the boy, making Kioku's Keyblade appear in his hand. A shimmer of light shined over the Keyblade, showing that it recieved new abilities.

 _ **{OBTAINED: Fire}**_

 _ **{OBTAINED: Blizzard)**_

 _ **{OBTAINED: Thunder}**_

 _ **{OBTAINED: Cure}**_

"Thanks, Mr. Wizard!" Kioku cheered happily. He turned to Spongebob and Patrick, "C'mon, let's go meet up with Link at the Bailey. The three then rushed out of the house and raced over to the Bailey.

* * *

 _ **-Hollow Bastion: Bailey-**_

When Kioku and the others get to the Bailey, they find Link staring off into the distance. They approach him, but the man still didn't turn his attention to them. He started to speak, "We're trying to put Hollow Bastion back together. No, we're trying to make this world better than what it was before." Link explained. "But of course, we have problems. Take a look," He then pointed forward, over at what seemed to be a fort of some sort, with the Heartless symbol appearing on one of the taller towers of the fort.

"Oh, we saw that fort-castle thing earlier.." Kioku stated. He then looked up at Link, "Was that all?"

"Look down, Kioku." Link said, pointing downward. The three walked closer to the balcony and peered below, and to their surprise they saw almost over a million Heartless comepletely flooding and canyon. "HOLY CRAP!" Kioku shouted.

"That's a lot of Heartless, there has to be at least a million of those things in there!" Spongebob said, a look of shock branded his face as he looked at the crowded Heartless. Link folded his arms and looked at Kioku. "Look, I know this is a bit much to ask..but I want you to help us get rid of them."

Kioku gave a quick response, accompanied by a thumbs up. "Sure! No problem!"

Almost immediately, Spongebob and Patrick quickly objected Kioku's statement.

"Are you crazy?! There's way too many of them!" Spongebob yelled. Patrick nodded, "Yeah! Almost millions we're talking about!" He added.

Kioku shook his head, "Guys, c'mon. We defeated Vlad, who was practically the leader of the Heartless." He then summoned his Keyblade, "With the combined power of the Keyblade and you guys, we'll clear out those Heartless in no time."

Spongebob and Patrick smiled nervously at the boy. The sponge sighed, "Well..you do have a point.."

"Glad to hear that you all are willing to help." Link smiled. "But, the Heartless aren't the only problem." He then pointed to a less crowded part of the canyon, where the four witnessed a few Dusks walking around the area. "Those things are a problem too."

Kioku scoffed, "We can definitely handle them."

Link nodded, "So Kioku, do you know what's going on?"

The teen started to explain, "There's this guy, Bubble Bass, who's been plotting with the Heartless." Kioku shook his head in pity at the thought of the guy. "But he ain't even smart enough to tie his own shoes. The ones we really need to worry about are the Nobodies."

"Yeah," Patrick commented. "And those Syndicate XIII guys. They're in charge of the Nobodies." He explained.

 _ **"You called...?"**_

An eerie voice had echoed throughout the Bailey, causing the four to look around in suspicion. Kioku ran out into the open and readied his Keyblade. "Who's that?"

 _ **"You're doing well.."**_ _another voice commented._

 _ **"This calls for a celebration."**_ The deep, haunting disembodied voice spoke again.

Suddenly, hordes of Nobodies had appeared within the area. Dusks, Creepers and another breed that carried sword-like weapons called Samurais. The Nobodies looked like they were trying to head towards the gate, but some of them were quickly taken out by Patrick, who threw his shields at just the right time.

"Spongebob! Patrick!" Link shouted. "Close the gates!" He ordered. The two then quickly raced towards the gates leading to the town and pulled them shut to avoid letting any Nobodies in. Link had then unsheathed his sword and quickly ran to meet up with Kioku, "We had to stop them from reaching the gates, we can't afford having the town getting destroyed again."

Spongebob and Patrick soon joined the two on the front line as the Nobodies grew in numbers. Kioku looked up at Link, "Let's do this!"

* * *

 _ **(INFORMATION: Defeat the Nobodies while protecting the gates!)**_

 _ **(Battle Theme: Desire for all that is Lost)**_

A Samurai Nobody swiftly unsheathed it's sword and swung at Kioku, resulting in the throwing his Keyblade up in defense to parry it and swung his Keyblade to knock the monster away. He then jumped at one of Dusks and vaporized it with a single swat. Spongebob raised his staff into the air, casting Thunder on a near by group of Nobodies who were then mowed down by Link's Master Sword. Patrick grunted as he hopped into the air and slammed his shields onto the ground, causing a few Samurais and Dusks to fly backwards forcefully. He then joined hands with Kioku as the two charged through the downed Nobodies with their Keyblade and Shields. The teen then recovered as more Nobodies kept appearing in numbers.

Kioku felt an immense power coursing through his body. Patrick noticed that he himself had gained a orange glow around him and was slowly being pulled in towards Kioku. "H-Hey..what's goin'-"

"LET'S GO!" Kioku shouted as he thrust his arms out to his side as Patrick clashed with him, causing a bright light to illuminate the scene. And when the light cleared, Kioku's clothes donned a orange and black color scheme and his Keyblade transformed into a shield. Before Link could question the starfish's disappearance and Kioku's new look, the teen was already attacking the surrounding Nobodie's with great speed and power.

Spongebob and Link were too surprised to fight. "Uh.." Link said, his jaw agape.

"That's his new power.." Spongebob said. "Never seen it in action."

Kioku swung and tossed his shield around, attacking and vaporizing the monsters in quick and wild strikes. Appearing behind the boy were a few more Creepers who quickly came running towards him to attack. Kioku clutched his shield and flipped up into the air and swiped at the ground below him, causing the Nobodies to fly up into the air with him. The boy had then began to swat and slash at the group of airborne enemies just before vaporizing them with a final strike.

The boy then landed on his feet and his form had reverted, with Patrick returning to his side and his shield reverting back to it's Keyblade appearance. Link and Spongebob ran towards the two and knelt down to meet at their level. "You okay?" the man asked. Kioku nodded.

 _ **"The Keyblade..a truly marvelous weapon..."**_

Kioku gritted his teeth and hopped back up to his feet and charged forward with his Keyblade in his hand. Again, he looked around for the disembodied voice.

 _ **"If only in more...capable hands.."**_

After the voice had said that, a group of voices were heard laughing together as if something humorous was said. Kioku looked up and saw a man cloaked in black entering the area through a black portal. The hooded figure stood on a higher platform, looking down at Kioku and the others. Then, the figure slowly opened his arms and five other figures in black cloaks appeared in separate portals.

Link looked up the mysterious group, "Who are they?" he asked.

"Syndicate XIII!" Spongebob anwered in shock. Kioku glared at the hooded group, "Good, now we can settle this!"

The leader spoke slowly in a dark and omnious voice, "So..you are the boy chosen by the Keyblade.." He said. "You are very skilled."

Kioku smirked, "Ha! Don't tell me you're intimidated by me!" Another hood, who had the figure of a female, scoffed at Kioku's claim. "Ugh..cocky much?"

"Yeah, this kid must think he's a badass for taking out a couple a' low class Nobodies." Another hood spoke, causing the rest of them to laugh afterwards. "But I do admit, he is pretty good with that Keyblade."

Kioku pointed the end of his Keyblade at them, "Oh yeah? Well then why don't you come down here and fight me?" The boy suggested in a threatening tone.

"Oh shut up, kid." A taller, yet skinnier hood spoke. "You're not even utilizing the full potential of that key. Here, lemme give you a few pointers." He started, "First off-"

"UUWAAAHHH!" The hood was then blasted off into the air by Claymore, who must have seen the group of cloaks as a threat to the town. The other hoods were taken by surprise by Claymore's appearance.

"What the hell is this thing?" Another hood said, it's voice sounding like that of an older woman.

The leader spoke again, "Whatever it is, it must see us as a threat. Retreat now!"

And just like that the group of hoods vanished through a black portal, leaving the four alone in the Bailey. "Stop right there!" Spongebob ordered. The sponge then tried to chase after them, but was halted as a black portal appeared in front of him and one of the hooded figures stepped out of it.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!" Patrick shouted.

The hooded figure shrugged, and chuckled nonchalantly. "Oi.."

Kioku got into a stance with his Keyblade, "Out of the way!" He ordered. The hooded figure flinched, "Oh jeez, do you have to yell at me like that? It's scaring me, y'know." The hood said with it's voice dripping with sarcasm.

"I said move!" Kioku yelled again.

The hooded figure laughed, "Ugh, are you trying to being assertive? You really got to work on that, chap."

Patrick clashed his shields together, "How about we make you move then?"

The hooded figure folded his arms, "You can try, but you won't get very far. I ain't no ordinary bloke. I'm with the Syndicate, mate. Nothing ordinary about us.."

"You can't talk, you just sat on the sidelines while your Nobody pets did the fighting for you." Kioku snarled.

"Oh dear," The hood sighed. "Seems like you got us all wrong. Maybe I should remind you how tough the crowd you're dealing with really is, yeah?"

The teen paused, "Remind me?" He wondered about what he meant by 'remind him' when he's nver met any of them before. He then shook it off and assumed his stance again. The hooded man laughed at Kioku's angry glare. "Haha! He used to give me that same look."

"What are trying to do, play some kind a' mind game with me?" Kioku asked. "Cause saying really random things to throw me off isn't exactly gonna work, 'mate'!"

"Oh darn, guess you got me then." The hood shrugged. He then opened up a portal behind him, "If you want, then come get us.." He then turned around and walked through the portal. Spongebob smirked and charged towards the portal, "Bold enough to challenge us? Then feel our wrat-" As soon as he stepped in front of the portal, a rope constructed of black and white tendrils pulled the sponge up by one of his ankles and held him up in the air, with a ball of light supporting the tendrils. The portal had then closed afterwards.

Link looked up at the trap that had caught Spongebob, "A snare trap?" he muttered. Kioku slashed at the tendrils and freed his companion, "Guess he wasn't gonna take us on afterall."

The boy then became lost in thought, "What was he talking about? Who gave him the exact same look?"

"Gee Kioku," Patrick started. "I think he was just tryin' to confuse you."

Kioku chuckled, "Yeah, you're right. There's only one me!" He said, dismissing the hood's obsurd claim. Link had then came to a realization and pulled out three cards. "Oh, I almost forgot. I know this isn't the best time, but have these."

He held out the three cards to Kioku, Spongebob, and Patrick. "Thanks," The teen smiled.

"They're membership cards." Link explained. "To let people know that you're affiliated with us."

Kioku held up his card and had began to read it out loud. "Team U.N.I.T.E Honorary Member-" He was then cut off as the card itself had then emitted a bright glow. Once Kioku let go of the card, it levitated into the sky, causing everyone to exclaim in surprise.

The end of Kioku's Keyblade also emitted a bright light as well, "What the?"

"What's this?" Link asked.

"Could this be the thing?" Spongebob asked out loud. Kioku pointed his Keyblade to the ground as a large glowing outline of a crown appeared on the ground surrounding him. The orb surrounding the card shot out a beam of light that revealed the world's keyhole in the sky. Kioku spun his Keyblade and pointed it at the keyhole and unlocked the gate with a beam of light. Once the light cleared, the teen lowered his Keyblade and turned to his two companions. "Hey, could that be the gate that Master Orca was talking about?"

"Oh Neptune!" Spongebob exclaimed happily. Kioku spun around to face Link, "Sorry to run, Link. But other worlds are calling." He said. Link folded his arms, "Syndicate XIII. They look tough, be careful."

The teen nodded, "We'll be sure to come back and check up on things,"

"Until then, keep this place safe!" Patrick smiled with a wink. Link chuckled and gave a nod, "Sure thing, good luck."

The three waved goodbye and went to go return to their Gummi Ship and start their adventure to find Yoru and the King, along with stopping the Syndicate XIII and their legion of Nobodies.

* * *

 _ **-Room of Gathering-**_

The hooded syndicate all sat in their chairs, discussing the matters of what happened back in Hollow Bastion. The woman in the black cloak spoke, "Did my eyes decieve me? It's far too early for a brat like that to wield a Keyblade."

Another hood spoke to her in response, "Oh it's alright. That chap will just keep carryin' on obediently. His heart is full of light, unlike any of us."

Another hood, speaking in a icy cold tone responded. "If he doesn't, we'll have no use to him." The girl in black coat, slouching in her chair, joined in. "I hope that boy is enjoying himself, hopefully he doesn't screw up our plans."

The hood that got blown away by the Claymore added in, "As long as it works in our favor, he can do what he wants for now. Then we'll jump in, if needed."

"Oh, big words comin' from you there, mate." The other hood spoke. "You sayin' you'll take care of things if they go wrong?"

The wimpy hood winced, "Uh, what?! N-No way, don't be silly."

The woman in the black coat chuckled, "Funny, you act like you've got a conscience. When the last time any of us felt anything?"

The girl in the black coat scoffed, "Right, guess the fun waits."

The other hood speaks again with his icy cold tone, "Do you know what happens to those who lose their true purpose? Inevitabily, they destroy themselves." Soon, theleader of them all spoke. "Legion. The hero of the Keyblade was embarked on a new adventure." He announced. "Let's make sure it will be an adventure he will remember." And with that, all of the other hooded figures exited the room in their portals. While only the leader stayed behind.

* * *

 _ **-Lanes in Between-**_

Looking across the starfilled space, Kioku saw that a lot more worlds were now visible. "Oh man! There's way more worlds than before!" He exclaimed happily.

"But where do we head to first?" Patrick asked curiously. Spongebob shrugged, "I don't think it matters if we go in any order. The longer we take to decide, the more time we waste."

"Sponge is right," Kioku said in agreement. "We don't have time to pick and choose, so let's just go!" He then turned his attention to Spongebob, giving the sea creature a cheesy smile. "Can I pilot the Gummi Ship?" he asked. The sponge groaned, "Well, I guess. Just don't crash the thing, alright?"

"Sweet!" Kioku cheered as he placed his hands on the controls. "Let's get this adventure started!" He then blasted off to the next world at an incredible speed, causing Spongebob to yell out. "TOO FAST! TOO FAST! OH NEPTUNE I REALLY REGRET THIS!"


	7. Chapter 6: Dragon Warriors

_**Chapter 6: Dragon Warriors**_

 _ **-Somewhere in the Mountains-**_

Deep in the mountains were an army of wolves, working tirelessly in the very hot enviroment ass they were trying to build some sort of weapon. They were taking large portions of metal and melting down into a molten liquid, then pouring it into a large, unfinished cannon. Watching over his men working, was a white peacock whose eyes were set on revenge. "I promise..I will make China bow before me." He muttered to himself. Soon, a wolf appeared before him and bowed.

"Lord Shen, it is almost ready." Boss Wolf informed. "But we've run out of metal."

Shen waved his wing, "Search the farthest villages, find more metal!" He instructed loudly. Boss Wolf nodded and instructed for his troops to move out. All of the wolves had then cleared out of the mountains, leaving Shen alone to gaze at the unfinished weapon.

"So, whatcha makin'?" A familiar voice asked the peacock, causing the latter to turn around. Standing before him was Vicky, who was sweat profusely due to the blazing heat. Shen quickly brandished his lance and pointed it at Vicky, who was unmoved by his actions.

"Intruder! Who are you—and what is your business of being here?" Shen interrogated.

"Oh calm down, don't get your feathers in a twist." Vicky scoffed. "I only want to know what it is that you're making."

Shen huffed and lowered his lance, "A cannon. A weapon that will bring an end to Kung Fu and help me rule over all of China." He explained. "Something a girl like you would know nothing about."

"Pshhh, you kiddin' me, birdbrain?" Vicky giggled. "I'm the leader of a powerful council that's bent on ruling _all_ worlds. In fact, I've come here to help you."

"Oh really?" Shen said, rolling his eyes. "A simple girl help me take over an entire country?

Vicky pointed to herself, "Hey, this 'simple girl' can control a legion of Heartless to do her bidding. This 'simple girl' can plunge stupid worlds like this one into the darkness by the drop of a dime." She said, glaring a the peacock. "Besides, this 'simple girl' can help you achieve whatever it is that you're after if you side with me."

Shen gave a chuckle, "Is that right? What are these, ' _Heartless_ ', you speak about?"

"Creatures that are born from the darkness in people's hearts. And if you're strong enough, you can have those things do whatever to tell them to." Vicky explained. "With a power like that, no one would dare mess with you. You'd have people bowing at your feet in no time."

The peacock smiled and laughed malevolently. "I like the sound of that. A bigger army means the faster the work gets done, and it also means the closer my goals become." Shen thought out loud. He then turned to the teen, "Fine, I will allow you to aid me. Show me what your 'Heartless' can do."

Vicky winked, "Peachy. The name's 'Vicky'." She greeted with a false smile.

Shen nodded. "Lord Shen."

* * *

 _ **-Valley of Peace: Bamboo Forest-**_

 _ **(Field Theme: Home of Dragons)**_

After landing the Gummi Ship, Kioku and the others found themselves in a mountainous area which looked like it lead downward into a far away village. The boy looked around to take in the surroundings. The area around them seemed to be a bamboo forest within the mountains, with it looking healthy and green all around. "So, any idea where we are?" Spongebob asked. Kioku rubbed his chin, "Looks to be a new world. I've definitely never been here before." He shrugged.

Before the three of them could try to do any recon, they heard screams coming from the village down below, causing the three to quickly turn their attention towards the direction of it. "Sounds like trouble!" Kioku gasped.

"The Syndicate's already causing trouble?" Spongebob asked. Patrick whimpered in worry, "Or the Heartless could be the problem!"

"Only one way to find out," Kioku said, summoning his Keyblade in a flash of light. The three then headed down the mountain and towards the village to investigate the problem.

* * *

 _ **-Valley of Peace: Musicians' Village-**_

In the village armies of wolves rained down on the village and had began to raid it. The villagers scatters around in fear, trying to escape the raiders who threatened their lives. Boss Wolf brandished a large hammer and yelled out an order to his men. "Get all the metal you can find!" He ordered just before running futher into the village. The wolves had then started to barge into homes and take any metal items that they could and even going as far to harm the innocent villagers. Kioku, Spongebob and Patrick quickly arrived on the scene with their weapons in hand. They noticed a bunch of bandits stealing a bunch of metal items and binding them all together. "That's everything, now let's get out of here!"

"Hey!" Kioku shouted at the bandits. "What do you think you're doing?!"

Boss Wolf snarled and yelled, "Our actions are none of your concern, boy!"

Kioku got into a stance with his Keyblade, "Well I think it is!" The teen grinned. "What do you say, boys? A little warm up wouldn't hurt, eh?" Kioku said cockily, gesturing towards Spongebob and Patrick.

Boss Wolf and his bandits laughed at Kioku's attempt to intimidate them. He then rounded up his bandits and got into a stance with his hammer, "You think you're tough? I'll show you who's boss!"

"Bring it on!" Spongebob smirked. Just as the the three were about to clash with the bandits, all of them heard a faint howl coming from the sky. Kioku looked up and saw six figures falling towards the village, shouting battle cries on their way down. When they landed, the six were revealed to be animals. A panda, a tiger, a monkey, a viper, a crane, and a praying mantis. The six struck fearsome poses, making the surrounding civilians cheer and whistle.

"It's the Dragon Warrior and the Furious Five!"

"They'll save us!"

Kioku, Spongebob and Patrick looked back at them, "Who are they?" The teen asked. The six walked towards Kioku and the other, with the panda beginning to speak to them. "Hey guys, I appreciate you lovely gentlemen for stalling. But real help is here!"

Kioku raised an eyebrow, "Real help?" He repeated. The tiger stepped forward and pointed in the other direction, "You need to get to safety. Civilians like you won't stand a chance against these bandits."

Patrick objected, "Excuse me! But we can easily take these guys down!" Spongebob jumped in, "Yeah and just who are you to say that we're civilians?" he shouted at the tiger.

"HEY!" Boss Wolf shouted during the midst of the two groups arguing, causing them to stop. He then glared at them, "Enough with the bickering! Men, get them all!" The bandits then started to rush towards the two groups, resulting in all of them jumping into battle together.

* * *

 _ **(INFORMATION: Take on the bandits with the help of the Furious Five!)**_

 _ **(Battle Theme: Fields of Honor)**_

The bandits swarmed the village, making most of the surrounding civilians back away for safety. Kioku was quick to dodge one of the wolves' sword swings and parried with a swift series of strikes from his Keyblade which quickly did him in. Another wolf came charging at the teen wielding an axe, but the panda quickly jumped to Kioku's defense and knocked him away using only his stomach. "Be careful, dude!"

Spongebob jumped backwards to avoid a bandit's swing from it's sword and shocked it with a Thunder spell, he was then assisted by the tiger who kicked the bandit into a gong and knocked him out. Meanwhile, Patrick had the unlucky pleasure of fighting two bandits at the same time, but he was able to block both of their attacks with his dual shields. The starfish had then swiftly dodged one of wolves' attacks and knocked him into the air with his shield, he then grabbed the other one and tossed him towards the monkey, who had finished it off with a series of punches and kicks.

Kioku noticed the airborne bandit and tossed his Keyblade at him as he was falling down, which had knocked him out. He summoned his Keyblade back to him and looked around for more bandits, and he found the praying mantis and viper taking out a few of them. "Look out, boy!" A gruff voice warned him, and Kioku quickly rolled out of the way of Boss Wolf's hammer. He glared at the wolf, who had started to cackle. "C'mon, show me what you got!"

Kioku readied his Keyblade and nodded, "Alright." But just as he was about to fight Boss Wolf, the panda had intervened and jumped in front of Kioku. "Watch out! I got this!" Boss Wolf swung his hammer and as the panda had gotten ready to parry it, he froze up and had stopped moving. This resulted in him getting smacked in the face by the hammer and fly back into Kioku. The two flew back and crashed on the ground. Boss Wolf laughed, "Chew on that, tubby!" just before hopping onto a heap of metal that was connected to a rope and was soon pulled up into the sky.

The teen struggled to heave the large panda off of him, "Gr..ugh! Get this guy off me!" The two were then helped up by the others. Spongebob and Patrick came to Kioku's aid, "You okay, pal?" The sponge asked. Kioku nodded as he brushed himself off. "I'm good."

The tiger approached the panda, "You alright? What happened?" she asked concerningly. The panda looked to the ground with a blank face, unable to explain what he saw that made him freeze up like that. "I think—I might've seen my—" He stuttered. The panda then shook his head, "Sorry, I gotta go." he said, just before running off into the mountains.

"Hey, wait up!" Kioku shouted after the panda, but he was already gone. "What's up with him?" He asked himself.

"Nice moves, you guys!" The crane said, complimenting Kioku and the others on their fighting skills. "You guys aren't any civilians at all!"

"Yeah, sorry for underestimating you three." the viper apologized. Kioku chuckled, "It's okay, so who are you guys?" The teen asked, causing almost the entire village to gasp almost instantly.

"You mean—you've never heard of us?" The praying mantis asked. "You been livin' under a rock?"

The tiger folded her arms, "From the looks of it, they aren't from around here." she stated. "We are the Furious Five. I'm Tigress."

"Crane." The crane bowed.

"Monkey." The monkey waved.

"Viper." The viper smiled and gave a playful wink.

"And Mantis." The praying mantis stated. "Who are you guys?" he asked.

"I'm Kioku," The teen said, pointing to himself. He then pointed to his two companion, "These two are Spongebob and Patrick."

Tigress gave the three a cold, hardened stare, even though she meant nothing by it. "My apologies for mistaking you as civilians. You three have the potential to become stronger."

Kioku smiled, "You think so?" he asked as he folded his hands behind his head. Tigress nodded ,"You're skilled, but you could use some improvement." She said. "Come with us to Jade Palace. I want to train with you all."

Crane nudged Kioku playfully, "Lucky you, eh? Gettin' trained by one of us?" He whispered. "Once Tigress is through with you, you'll be almost as good as us!" Viper commented. This caused Spongebob to nearly explode in excitement.

"Oh boy!" Spongebob exclaimed happily. "We're gonna become masters of Kung Fu!"

"Sounds awesome!" Kioku cheered, pumping his fist into the air. Tigress overheard the two and looked back. "Enough. Let's go." She ordered.

Kioku, Spongebob, Patrick and the Furious Five had then started to leave the village and make their way through Jade Mountain.

* * *

 _ **-Gongmen City: Palace Gates-**_

Vicky and Lord Shen approach the palace gates in a place called, Gongmen City. Following behind the two were Shen's band of wolves pulling a large crate on wheels towards the gates. Standing near the gates were a couple of guards who immediately saw those two as a threat. "Halt! What is your business here?" One of the guards asked in a loud tone.

Vicky cracked her knuckles, "Lord Shen here is the rightful owner of this place, and were coming to take it back." She explained, gesturing to Lord Shen. Upon hearing Lord Shen's name, the guards instantly charged towards them. Dark wisps swirled around Vicky's fists and she knocked a few of the guards away, while Lord Shen easily took out the rest with his iron sharp talons.

The girl stepped over the downed guards, "Well, that was easy." She commented. "I didn't even break a sweat."

Lord Shen chuckled. "Don't be so arrogant, my dear. The real fun is just about to begin." The peacock had then sliced open the gates and pushed them open. The two casually strolled into the courtyard and they could see a few people on the other side. A rhino, an ox, crocodile, and a goat. Vicky looked over at Lord Shen and saw him smile as the others at the end muttered his name.

"Greetings gentlemen, now that we've got the pleasantries out of the way. Please leave my house!" The peacock raised his voice, pointing at the gates behind him. The ox scoffed, "Your house?"

Vicky snickered, "Yeah, didn't you notice the peacock on the front door?" She asked. As the two got closer, Lord Shen approached the small, elderly goat. "Ah, there you are, Soothsayer. It seems as your fortune-telling skills are not as good as you thought." The peacock cackled.

"We shall see, Shen." The soothslayer said, directing a glare at both Shen and Vicky.

"No, you shall see—you old goat!" Lord Shen muttered. He turned his attention back to rhino and ox. "Anyways, where were we?"

The rhino gripped his hammer, "What do you want, Shen?" he asked in a low growl.

"What's rightfully mine," Lord Shen uttered with a glare. "Gongmen City!"

"Gongmen City is under the stewardship of the Masters' Council." The rhino explained, "And we will protect it—even from you."

Lord Shen laughed, "I'm so glad you feel that way, other wise I would've dragged this here for nothing." He laughed, pointing to the large crate his wolf minions were dragging into the courtyard. The ox raised his axe in defense, "What's in the box?"

"A little parting gift," Vicky smiled as she folded her hands behind her head, leaning back casually. "Part of you here, part of you there. Parts of you splattered all over the walls of this palace." She laughed in a deranged tone. The ox had then charged at them, "You fools!" He leaped into the air and raised his weapon.

Vicky quickly fired off a blast of raw darkness at the ox and instantly knocked him out of air, making him hit the ground with a loud thud. The crocodile leaped in after the ox, only to be subdued by Lord Shen within a matter of seconds.

Vicky noticed that the two had quickly recovered and summoned a few Heartless at her side, "Shen, go for the big guy. I'll let my Heartless handle these two." She ordered as she sicced the group of Heartless after the ox and crocodile. Lord Shen gave a brief nod and charged the rhino, brandishing his lance and swinging it around only for it to be parried and blocked by the rhino's hammer.

"What are these things?!" The crocodile shouted out loud as he slashed through one of the Shadows. The ox defeated a few Shadows and turned towards Vicky, "Insolent witch!" he shouted as he tried to charge her again. Vicky sighed and sent a quick wave of darkness at the ox and knocked him back to the ground. "Don't you know when to stay down?" She taunted, sticking her tongue out at the ox.

Meanwhile, Lord Shen retreated back towards Vicky as he was bested by the rhino's advanced skill in kung fu. "Show off.." The peacock uttered. The rhino pointed his hammer at the two of them, "That is a warning. You are no match for our kung fu."

"I agree." Lord Shen smirked. "But _this_ is." He then took Vicky by the wrist and the two quickly retreated back towards the large crate. Using his talons, Lord Shen sliced open the crate and revealed a large cannon that was aimed directly at the rhino. Vicky raised her arms and summoned a large number of Heartless, "Okay Shen, let 'im have it!"

The rhino got into a defensive stance with his hammer, preparing himself for whatever Shen was planning. The peacock ignited the fuse, which burned quickly and fired off the cannon, which caused a gigantic explosion of flames accompanied by popping and shrieking of fireworks, marking the beginning of their siege of Gongmen City.


	8. Chapter 7: Saving Kung Fu

_**Chapter 7: Saving Kung Fu**_

 _ **-Valley of Peace: Jade Palace-**_

After an intense training session with Tigress, a member of the well known kung fu group called "Furious Five", Kioku, Spongebob and Patrick sat in front of the Dojo and spoke with Tigress.

"You three have impressive skills." She complimented. "Tell me, what made you want to fight against those bandits back in Musician's Village?" Tigress asked, questioning the three about them taking part in the battle against the bandits who were stealing metal from the village. Kioku shrugged as he began to answer.

"Well, at first we had thought it was a group of bad guys terrorizing the village." He answered. "A group that we're after, they're called Syndicate XIII."

"Syndicate XIII," The tiger repeated to herself. "Do tell."

Spongebob folded his arms, " _Well_ , they're a bunch of bad guys who wear black hoods. And they control these weird monsters called Nobodies, and neither of them have hearts." He explained. "We just learned about them and we still don't really know what their motives are."

"All we know is that they're planning something evil, and that they could be here in this world, or any other world." Patrick added. "But, they're not the only problem." He said with a sigh.

Tigress' eyes widened, "Th-There's more?" she exclaimed, just before clearing her throat with a faint blush staining her cheeks. "Forgive me, I—didnt know your mission included so many threatening opposers."

Kioku laughed, "Haha, it's okay Tigress." He waved. "We're still trying to process it all, too."

"We also have to deal with Heartless, and bad guys from our last adventure coming back to try and take over the worlds." Spongebob explained. He then sighed and shook his head. "Trust me, it's very stressful."

Tigress gave a calm smile. "Well, your mission sounds very important, and dangerous. But, I'm sure you three can manage." She said confidently. Soon, the crane from earlier came flying towards them and landed right before the four of them. He looked slightly panicked, as if he had heard some terrifying news.

"Tigress, Master needs to meet with us all in the courtyard. Something's happened in Gongmen City." Crane announced. The other four had quickly gained alerted expressions on their faces and jumped up. Tigress' calm expression had turned back to being cold and serious. "What exactly happened?"

Crane shook his head, "Not sure, but I think the Master will tell us. C'mon, hurry!"

And soon after, the crane had flown away. Tigress turned to the other three, "Let's get to the courtyard." Kioku nodded, "Right." he agreed, and the four of them raced over to the courtyard to meet up with the rest of the Furious Five and their master to discuss about the threat that had plagued Gongmen City.

* * *

 _ **-Jade Palace: Courtyard-**_

Once Kioku and the other arrived, they saw that Po, Viper, Crane, Monkey and, Mantis were there waiting for them, along with another person that Kioku wasn't familiar with, but had given off the impression of them being the Furious Five's master. Their master was a small red panda who woran orange robe with a green belt and shawl. He sported a long mustache and beard, to give off the impression of old age. In one hand he held a scroll and in the other his held a cane, and he wore a look of worry on his face.

Po noticed Kioku, Spongebob and Patrick from earlier and happily waved at them. "Hey, it's the three cool dudes from earlier that helped us save Musician's Village!" The large panda ran over to meet with the teen and his friends. The panda's large and wide stature intimidated Kioku a bit, but then again, Po's energectic and child-like personality contradicted it.

"Hey, just wanted to let you know, I'm totally sorry about earlier." Po apologized quickly. "I wasn't myself, I was acting weirder than usual." The panda laughed sheepishly. He then stuck out his hand, "The name's Po, I'm the famous Dragon Warrior." He said, introducing himself.

Kioku smiled and shook his hand. "What's up? I'm Kioku." The teen then gestured to his friends, "These two are Spongebob and Patrick."

Spongebob waved, "Hiya!" and Patrick did so aswell. "How do you do?"

The small master slowly made his way towards Kioku and the other, "So, you are the infamous outsiders that helped my pupils fight off the bandits in Musician's Village?" He asked, his eyes shifting up and down, taking in the three's odd appearance.

Kioku nodded, "Yessir." he answered respectfully. The master gave a sigh, "Well, i'm afraid there are no time for introductions, as I have terrible news." The master had began to open up the scroll and looked down at it before looking back up at the rest of them.

"Po, are you familiar with the master of Gongmen City?" He asked, which made Po respond quickly and energectically. "Master Thundering Rhino?"

"Yes." The master responded.

"Son of legendary Flying Rhino?" Po asked again, making his master's face to drop down again. "...Yes." He answered, his voice dripping with sorrow.

Po asked another question, "And slayer of the Ten Thousand Serpents in the Valley of Woe?!" The master looked up at Po and responded bluntly, "He's dead." his sudden statement making all the rest of them get chills.

"Th-That's impossible." Crane denied, shaking his head. Tigress quickly objected as well, "Rhino's Horn Defense is impervious to any technique."

"But it was no technique," The master revealed. "Lord Shen has created a weapon. One that breathes fire and spits metal." He said, his voice elevating with intensity. "Not only that, but another person also had aided Lord Shen in his unfortunate victory. A young witch who has the power to manipulate the darkness and summon demons from the shadows."

Kioku gasped, "The Heartless." He exclaimed. "The person that must've been with Lord Shen was using Heartless." the teen rubbed his chin. "But..who?"

"Heartless?" Mantis repeated. "What are those things?" He asked curiously.

"Heartless are monsters born from the darkness in people's hearts." Patrick explained. "But since there's darkness is everyone's heart, they'll appear any and everywhere."

Spongebob intervened, "But, it seems like this person must have good control over the darkness if they could just summon them at will."

Tigress turned to the boy, "Could it be one of the opposers you're after, Kioku?" She asked. The teen shrugged, "It's a possibility. The 'young witch' term does seem to ring a few bells."

Patrick gasped, "Oh no! That could mean that Heartless could be crawling all over Gongmen City!"

The master gave them all a stern look, "Unless those two are stopped, this could be the end of Kung Fu." he said, which made Po exhale with concern. "But I just got Kung Fu."

"And now you must save it." The master replied. "All of you must hurry to Gongmen City to stop Lord Shen and his accomplice and save Kung Fu!" he ordered, pointing his cane in the opposite direction. Kioku waved his hands, "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Just a sec." he interrupted.

"Yes?" The master raised an eyebrow."

"Pardon me for askin', but how exactly can Kung Fu stop something that stops Kung Fu?" The teen asked, as he was confused. The master approached Kioku, "Listen here, my boy. It is like I told Po, anything is possible when you have inner peace."

Kioku looked down, "Inner—peace?" he repeated in a mutter. The master pointed his cane again, "Now, on you go! Head to Gongmen City and stop the evil that threatens Kung Fu!"

Shortly afterwards, Kioku and the others rushed forwards as they were tasked with a dangerous quest. They had to journey to Gongmen City and save Kung Fu from Lord Shen and his mysterious weapon. Along with his Heartless wielding accomplice.

* * *

 _ **-Meanwhile in Gongmen City-**_

After they had defeated Master Rhino and overtaking the palace, Lord Shen and Vicky had began renovate the palace, mostly to Lord Shen's liking. The large cannon that was used to defeat the Rhino was being moved in by two gorillas, while Lord Shen and Vicky laid eyes on a large throne that the peacock was very familiar with.

"Ah yes, my father's throne." Lord Shen smiled slyly. "He used to let me play here beside him, promising someday, that this throne would be mine." He recalled. Vicky scoffed and unfolded her arms, "Eh, who needs it?"

She walked towards it and picked it up using her strength and effortlessly tossed it out of the window, both surprising and impressing Lord Shen. "Perhaps you're right, my dear." He then gestured to the gorillas, "Set the cannon in place, right where my father's throne used to be."

"But it's so heavy, master." One of the gorillas complained. Vicky growled, "Stop your whining and move the damn cannon. Unless you want to be the next thing that flies out of the window."

Vicky's harsh threat had made the gorillas quickly move the cannon to where the throne had used to be. Lord Shen nodded. "Yes, she is right, "He started.

"I've waited thirty years for this very moment, everything must be exactly how I envisioned it." Lord Shen explained, slowly approaching the cannon. "With this weapon and the Heartless by my side, all of China will bow to me." The peacock announced with cockiness oozing from his voice. "We move out in three days, when the moon is full and the tide is high."

Lord Shen laughed and turned to the elderly goat, whom he had taken hostage. The goat had a look of both fear and anger on her face as the peacock walked towards her. "Now tell me, you old goat, what's my—"

"Fortune?" The goat interrupted, finishing Lord Shen's sentence. The peacock shook his head, "Future. I meant to say, 'future'," He corrected. Lord Shen pointed to her, "Look into your bowl and tell me what glory awaits."

The goat nodded and threw salt into the bowl, causing a large cloud of smoke to emit from the bowl. She began to tell his fortune as the cloud took on different images. "I see, a peacock," The goat said, as the clouds formed an image of a peacock, brandishing it's wings. The goat went on. "That is to be defeated by a warrior of black and white, who is accompanied by a youth who wields the power of light in the shape of a key."

As she said that, an image of the yin and yang symbol appeared and vanquished the image of the peacock, followed by another image of a teenaged boy swiping away with what looked to be a Keyblade. This caused Lord Shen to briefly look on in fear. "Nothing has changed." The goat said.

The peacock brandished a knife and threw it at the goat's bowl, causing it to shatter and disperse on impact. Lord Shen masked his fear with a cocky smile and a quick snicker. "That's impossible, and you know it." He said in a dark, sinister tone.

Vicky sneered, "Kioku...I remember that brat. Don't tell me that he and his annoying friends are back." She muttered to herself. The goat shook her head, "It is not impossible, Lord Shen. Even he knows it."

The peacock scoffed, "Who?"

"Lord Shen!" Boss Wolf called as he ran up the steps. "I saw a panda!"

The peacock repeated back, "A panda?" He quickly pounced on top of the wolf and looked him in the eyes.

"Yes, a panda," The wolf nodded. "One who fought like a demon."

Vicky shouted, "What about a boy with a sword in the shape of a key?" She asked. "Was he and two other people with him?"

Boss Wolf looked over at Vicky and nodded, "Yes, I could never forget his face! His fighting skills were like something I've never seen before." He answered. Lord Shen gazed a fearful look into Boss Wolf's eyes, "There are no more pandas."

The goat spoke again, "Even with his poor eyesight, he can see that truth." She turned to Lord Shen, "Why is it that you cannot?"

An unspeakable rage overcame Lord Shen and he pushed Boss Wolf away, "Find the panda and the key-wielding boy and bring them to me." He ordered, making the wolf nod and run off to carry out his order.

"Ha!" Lord Shen laughed, "One panda lives, that does not make you right." he taunted the goat. He then turned to walk away, until the goat retailiated. "You are right. Being right makes me right."

The peacock paused, and turned back to the goat. "Then I will kill them, and make you wrong." He said in a sinister tone, which make Vicky crack a smile and intensify her glare.

* * *

 _ **-The journey to Gongmen City-**_

Kioku, Spongebob, Patrick and the Furious Five had boarded a boat that would take them to Gongmen City. And to make sure no Heartless were to attack the boat, Kioku and the others were tasked to keep watch and protect the boat from harm. It was now getting close to dusk and the three had been awake since they had left Jade Palace, much to a cranky Kioku's dismay.

Kioku yawned and laid back against the floor of the boat. "Jeez, I'm friggin' tired." He complained, stretching his limbs to relief them of their stiffness. Patrick followed up with a yawn of his own, "Yeah, me too."

"Me—three." Spongebob said, mid-yawn. "How much longer until we reach Gongmen City?" he asked. Kioku shook his head, "Who knows and who cares? I'm tired and hungry, and there's a bad guy out there using the Heartless to take over that city." He sat up and rubbed his eyes. "Besides, who do you think it is, anyways?"

Spongebob pondered, "Well, Bubble Bass did mention Vicky's return. Maybe she's the one in who's helping Lord Shen."

"Arghh," Kioku groaned. "Don't say that Sponge, I was hoping Link and the others would have made mince meat out of them back in Hollow Bastion." He sighed. "I shoulda asked them about it when I had the chance."

Soon, they heard someone coming out from inside the boat, mumbling something. "Inner peace, inner peace." They said. Kioku turned around and saw that it was Po, who was a little too lost in thought to even realize they were awake.

"Oh, hey Po." Kioku waved to the panda. Po snapped out of his trance and quickly waved to the three, "O-Oh, hey there, Kioku! What are you three doin' up?" He asked.

The teen gave a snicker, "We should be askin' you the same question." Kioku smiled. Po shifted around nervously and quickly got into a fighting stance. "I came out here to..uh..to train!"

"This early?" Spongebob raised an eyebrow, doubting Po's answer. Kioku gave a welcoming smile, "Po, why are you really out here, What's eating you?" the teen asked. Po gave a sigh, seeing as how Kioku and the others didn't believe his lie. The panda walked over and took at seat next to the three, causing the boat to rock at he plopped down.

"Okay," Po sighed. "I just found out that my dad—really _isn't_ my dad."

Kioku gave the panda a look, "You mean the goose we met on the way out?" He asked, making Po nod in response. "Oh, well that must've been a shocker for you."

"Yeah, I know." Po agreed.

"And this bothers you?" Patrick asked, as he was concerned for Po. The panda chuckled, "Are you kidding me, Patrick. I'm a warrior, I've got nerves of steel!" He responded energetically.

Kioku laughed, "Well, as long as you're okay I guess." The boy nodded. Soon, the four of them looked over to see the sun rising up, accompanied by the sight of tall buildings appearing on the horizon. Kioku, Spongebob and Patrick gazed in awe. "Wow." Spongebob said in awe.

"Look's like we're here." Po announced. "Gongmen City."

* * *

 _ **[Party In: Po]**_

 _ **[**_ _Party Member Info: Po_

 _Dragon Fury: Po will lash out at the enemies with a flurry of kicks and punches that will stun them for a short period of time, given so that Kioku can deal out his fair share of hits from his Keyblade._

 _Panda Bounce: Po will bounce around and throw himself into an enemy, causing it to ricochet towards another one if nearby, or Kioku so that he can vanquish it._

 _Warrior Flip: Using his agility, Po will flip around to avoid most enemy attacks._

 _Dragon's Roar: Po will hop into the air and slam his butt onto the ground, causing a large shockwave to hit nearby enemies and stun then for a short period of time._

 _ **Limit: Crouching Panda**_

 _ **"Po!"**_

 _ **"Let's do it to it!"**_

 _After activating the limit, Kioku and Po will strike battle poses briefly and lash out at surrounding enemies._ _ **Hidden Fang**_ _will cause both Po and Kioku to spin around each other whilst hitting the enemies._ _ **Tiger's Rage**_ _will make Kioku knock Po into the enemies continuously using his Keyblade. The finisher,_ _ **Yin-Yang**_ _, shows Kioku hopping onto Po's back and proceeding to use him as a sliding board to glide along the floor and into the enemies and knock them into the air. Then, the two return to their feet and grab onto each other and spin into the air, vanquishing the remaining enemies with a devastating twister attack, just before comically landing on the ground._ _ **]**_


	9. Chapter 8: City Infiltration

_**Chapter 8: City Infiltration**_

 _ **-Gongmen City: Rooftops-**_

Upon arriving in Gongmen City, Kioku and the others wasted no time trying to stay hidden from any potential enemies scouting the perimeters of the city. They all steathily climbed up to the top of a building and crawled onto the rooftop. Once they were there, they could see a nice view of the city and packed streets below, as well as the large tower that stood further in the back of the city.

"There," Tigress whispered. "That must be Shen's palace on the other side of the city." She said as she pointed at the large tower in the distance. Kioku smiled confidently and nodded, "Great! let's get to that tower and take down Shen!" the teen proclaimed heroically. Po laughed mightily, "I second that!"

The two were ready to jump into the streets and race to the palace until they were quickly stopped by both Tigress and Mantis, who grabbed them and pulled them back onto the roof. Kioku grunted, "Ouch! What gives?" He groaned.

"Are you crazy?" Mantis asked in a whispered tone. "This place is crawling with wolves!"

Kioku and Po sat up and peeked down below, and they saw that the city was indeed being scouted by the wolves, who were carrying mallets, swords, nun-chucks, or any other dangerous weapon to kill anyone who dared to get in their way. But, if they were trying to get to the tower without being seen, Kioku's intention of fighting his way to Shen was soon gone.

"Guess we gotta get there without being seen." Spongebob suggested, earning a small nod from Tigress. "Yes, we will need to sneak through Shen's security. Fighting them all at once would be careless."

Kioku nodded, "Guess it would only lead us into more trouble with reinforcements." he shrugged.

Po sighed, "My bad guys. Look's like we've got to go 'stealth mode' on this one." He grinned, earning a nod from Tigress.

"Great, now it seems that we are on the same page." She said. "Let's make our way to the tower without being spotted."

Kioku and the warriors begin to leap from rooftop to rooftop, avoiding the patrolling wolves from below. The three were impressed by the Furious Five's athleticism, as they were flipping and dashing from one rooftop to another as quickly as possible. From the rooftops, Kioku looked down at the action going on down below. Adults coming and going from place to place, small children running about the town, and the menacing wolves patrolling and harassing the civilians. Seeing the fear that the wolves were putting into the hearts of everyone around them, the malice they brought to Gongmen City almost reminded Kioku of his former adversary. A girl with a god-complex, obsessed with controlling everyone around her and molding them into what she envisioned. She was cruel and unforgiving, her heart filled to the brim with darkness. Kioku couldn't shake the feeling that Vicky was here, in this world. But that's impossible, she was defeated at Hollow Bastion...right?

"Hey, Kioku!" Mantis called over to the boy, who was lost in thought. He snapped back into reality and turned to the others. He immediately noticed that Po was gone from the rest. The teen looked around at everyone, "Um, so where's the panda?" he asked.

Spongebob crossed his arms, "That's what we're trying to find out. He just disappeared!" He exclaimed. They all spread out on the rooftop and started to look down below for Po, searching for him in a flowing sea of civilians. Tigress growled in anger as she searched around the perimeter of the building, still unable to find him.

"He's huge, how the hell do you-" Kioku muttered to himself, just before spotting a dragon costume with panda legs clumsily making it's way down the street. Judging by his movements, he seemed to be looking for them as well. "Nevermind, I found 'im." The others quickly gathered around Kioku and he pointed his Keyblade at the costume stumbling down the street. The tiger gave an embarrassed scowl and jumped down to go and join him. "To the costume, quickly!"

The rest of them scaled down the building and moved through the crowd to get under the costume and join Po. Once inside, they all continued down the street. Kioku looked up at Po, " _Stealth mode_ , eh?" he whispered with a smirk.

The panda gave a flustered laughed, "Yeah, not one of my strongest modes."

"Have to admit, this costume is pretty convenient. We'll be able to walk right past those guards." Spongebob commented.

"Until they look down at our feet.." Mantis interjected.

They continued down the street for a while before stopping in front of a food stand, where they heard an altercation going down between a wolf and a fear-stricken sheep. Kioku peeked from under the costume and saw the wolf shouting at the sheep, clutching a bowl of uncooked rice in anger. "My rice is raw! Don't you know how to cook rice?" The wolf yelled.

"I-I do!" The sheep stuttered. "It's just that you took all of out metal pots!"

The wolf growled and grabbed the sheep by her shirt, he sharpened his glare. "Either you cook this rice, or I'll make you wish you had!"

Kioku retreated back into the costume, "Po! You gotta do something! He whispered.

"Already on it," Po whispered, shifting towards the wolf. With very swift movements, Po managed to neutralize the wolf without attracting attention from anyone except the sheep in front of them, who was surprised by her hidden rescuers. The costume turned towards the sheep and Po put a finger to his lips, "Don't be alarmed, we've come to help you."

The sheep nodded and looked around cautiously, "We can't speak here, it's too crowded. Into the alley, quickly!" She ordered, grabbing the costume and dragging them all into a nearby alley. Once they were away from the busy streets, the costume was discarded and their true forms were revealed. The sheep smiled with glee, "The Dragon Warrior and the Furious Five," She bowed. The sheep turned towards Kioku, Spongebob, and Patrick, tilting her head in confusion. "Please forgive me, and you three are.."

"The solution to another problem besides Lord Shen." Tigress interrupted. "Our master told us that ruler of this city was taken down with the help of another person. Particularly someone who can summon foes called 'Heartless'?"

"And she's a girl!" Mantis added, which made the sheep gasp in realization.

"You mean Lord Shen's second-in-command?" The sheep asked, "Everyone in the city has been talking about her, even Lord Shen's minions deem her as a hellion."

Spongebob snapped his fingers, "Aha! So it _is_ Vicky!" He exclaimed.

Po shuddered, "Vicky. It just sounds like an evil person's name." he gagged.

"She was seen strolling into the city with Lord Shen and his minions, dragging along the large crate that contained the weapon that defeated Master Thundering Rhino." The sheep explained. "After they locked away Masters Ox and Croc, had the terror started."

Po hopped up in excitement, "Wait! So Master Ox and Master Croc are alive?!"

"Got any leads on where we can find 'em?" Kioku asked.

"They're locked up in the Gongmen Jail at Black Dragon Alley." The sheep explained. "It's probably guarded by those grunts and the witch's 'Heartless'. Please be careful!" The small sheep had then waddled away, leaving the rest of them to discuss the matter between themselves.

"Knowing those two, they're probably gathering all the intel they can to figure out a way to destroy that weapon!" Po said, speaking highly of his masters.

Kioku folded his hands behind his head, "Then let's hurry and bust them out. We'll need their help as much as they need ours."

Soon, they all heard the voice of a wolf from nearby. They all gathered by the corner and peeked around, noticing that Boss Wolf had discovered one of his men unconscious. "Who...Who did this?!" He shouted in anger.

"Quick, let's get to the jail without being discovered." Tigress whispers before making a dash in the other direction, with the rest of the team following. Navigating farther into the city via the alleyways, it wasn't long before Kioku and the gang had reached Black Dragon Alley. Peaking around the corner, they were surprised to find that the alley was completely vacant. Not a wolf in sight. Kioku strolled out from cover and looked around in confusion, "What, are they on lunch break?" He joked, referring to the wolves the sheep had warned them about.

"Odd," Tigress said, rubbing her chin. "Lord Shen's wolves are patrolling every nook and cranny of this city. But the real question is—why aren't they guarding the one place where the Masters are imprisoned?"

Viper gasped and shouted, "LOOK OUT!" As she had witnessed two large, spiked mallets come crashing down in front of them, both making decent sized craters within the ground accompanied by flying debris. Kioku was quick enough to roll out of the way and summoned his Keyblade in a flourishing light, Spongebob, Patrick and others running to his side. From the roof of the Gongmen Jail, two burly figures came falling down and slammed onto their feet. The two fiends appeared to be tall in height and muscular in their builds with horns on their heads. Their skin color were contrasted, one being a cool blue while the other one was a fiery red. They shared glowing yellow eyes and sharp, crooked dark yellow teeth. They both wore tattered, seemingly battle worn tarps that were dark brow, with a rope tied around their waists, acting as a makeshift belt. The Heartless emblem appeared on the center of their chests.

The two Heartless grabbed their mallets and heaved them over their shoulders in unison, in an attempt to intimidate them. Kioku got into a stance with his weapon, "Vicky must've had these two guarding from above. She knows we're here." He said, addressing his companions.

Po jumped up and down in excitement, " _Whoa-ho-ho_! Kioku, Spongebob, Patrick—are _these_ the Heartless you've been telling us about?" He asked. "They look so strong!"

Patrick slammed his shields together, "Hmph! These guys don't look so tough! We'll show 'em!"

 ** _(Boss Theme: Sinister Shadows)_**

The team had split into two. Kioku, Spongebob, Patrick, and Po took on the blue Heartless while Tigress, Viper, Mantis, Crane and Monkey took on the red Heartless. Kioku swung his Keyblade, smacking the blue Heartless around with a few strikes before landing a sweeping blow that knocked it off balance, with Po following up with some swift strikes of his own. But the blue Heartless had immediately retaliated with a huge wallop, however Patrick had charged into the attack with his shields up, instantly parrying the Heartless and leaving him wide open. "Nice one, Pat!" Kioku cheered. The teen had hopped on top of Patrick's shoulders and leaped towards the monster and spun into it acrobatically with his Keyblade, striking the Heartless several times.

Meanwhile, Furious Five's battle with the red Heartless was looking rather intense. Because the native world's heroes weren't familiar with the otherworldly Heartless, They were overwhelmed by the monster's extremely feral nature. Tigress was on her toes, dodging the Heartless' attacks and occasionally parrying to keep from dealing blows to her comrades. But even still she had gotten hit or knocked out of the way. Viper slithered towards the red Heartless and spiraled around it's legs, tripping the monster up and causing him to go crashing to the ground. She struggled to keep the Heartless' ankles together, but kept tightened. "Get this thing!" She shouted.

Kioku charged into the blue Heartless and wrestled it's mallet out of it's hand with aggressive force. "Take this!" he shouted, swinging the mallet into it's wielder's body, each strike after the last increasing in speed. He tossed the mallet back into the blue Heartless, causing him to fly back towards it's twin, who was still captured in Viper's hold. Spongebob had then cast the Zero Gravity spell, making the two Heartless' drift into the air, "They're open for attacks, but I can hold them up for so long!" he announced.

Kioku and Po looked at each other briefly and made a dash at the Heartless. Kioku wound up his Keyblade, "Here goes," he smirked as he spun around and smacked Po's blubberly backside with his weapon, causing the panda to shoot towards the twin Heartless at an impressive speed, instantly smacking into them. Po shot back towards the teen, who had knocked the panda back for a second time. Kioku had then jumped towards Po and latched onto his back, climbing onto his back in mid-air. Using the panda as a sliding board and spun around the Heartless and knocked them towards the ground, making the others scatter out of the way. While on the ground, they rapidly spin towards the Heartless, striking the two multiple times. The two landed on the ground in success, with the Heartless slowly disintegrating into darkness. The teen smiled, "Sweet, he's nearly finished!"

Po gave the monsters a glare, "Then let's finish it." He said in a deepened tone. The two had then jumped into the air and slammed themselves on top of the monsters, destroying the two with the finishing blow, leaving them to crumble away into darkness.

After the Heartless were defeated, everyone gathered around. The Furious Five were quick to praise them for their performance against the monstrous beings, "Y-You two were flipping and flying everywhere!" Mantis exclaimed in shock. "Against _those_ things?!

"That's insane!" Crane added. "That's, like, us times ten. I don't even think we'd able to fight two of those— _Heartless_?" he said, referring to their own combat, but in comparison to Kioku and his friends fast and wild-like fighting style while also addressing the Heartless. Spongebob and Patrick chuckled, both of their cheeks coloring a rosy red.

"What can we say," Spongebob shrugged. "We've learned it from Kioku, he's kind of a hothead." The sponge cackled loudly.

Kioku flinched comically, "What?!—Am not!" he pouted.

Po put an arm round Kioku's neck, squeezing him tightly. "Did you hear my line? I was all like—'Then let's finish it!'" The panda exclaimed, repeating his words from earlier in battle. Tigress walked towards the three, her arms crossed and her eyes emitting a calm aura. "If the Heartless are as strong as they looked terrifying, then it seems we'll really need your help." The tiger nodded, "Kioku, Spongebob, Patrick. Don't let us down."

Kioku dismissed his Keyblade and gave a friendly smile. "'Course not! Not while the Heartless still crawl this world!" He then turned towards the jail, looking towards the building with determination filling his heart. Everyone else followed in response. Inside were the two people that they all needed to help take down Lord Shen and his outsider accomplice and old foe of Kioku's, Vicky. The keys to saving Gongmen City and Kung Fu as a whole.

"Now, to busting out our heroes." Kioku said with a brave smile, referring the Masters Ox and Croc.

* * *

 ** _~Winslow's Journal~_**

 ** _SUPAH SPECIAL HEARTLESS RAHPORT_**

 _ **Agnus & Ragna: These two are humanoid Heartless that each wield ridiculously large mallets and for any other average joe, would be more than just a tough opponent! They specialize in raw, beast-like strength, using both their weapons and fists. The unique thing is about these two meatheads is their behavior, which can be represented by their blue and red colors! Agnus, the red one, is more feral and fights like a complete and utter maniac—While the cool, baby blue Ragna fights like a civilized individual, emulating the strength of a large, meathead of a human—with a brain, mind you. Luckily, our hothea—I mean hero and wielder of the Keyblade, Kioku took these doofuses down with help from our other two doofuses Spongebob and Patrick and even BIGGER doofus, Po, and his cool friends.**_


	10. Chapter 9: Fated Encounter

**Chapter 9: Fated Encounter**

 _ **~Valley of Peace: Gongmen City Jail~**_

Bursting to the jail with a loud crash, swinging both of the heavy doors open, Kioku, Spongebob, Patrick, accompanied by the Furious Five dashed into the building immediately coming in contact with prison guards, who're obviously not on their side. Kioku brandished his Keyblade and made short work of one of the guards, knocking him unconscious, with Po rolling in and taking out the other guard as well.

"Excellent," Tigress commented. Kioku turned to Monkey and Crane, "You guys keep watch for any signs of Shen's lackeys, or Heartless. Keep in mind that not all Heartless look the same, so watch out for glowing yellow eyes, or their black and red heart emblems." The teen explained, warning them of the potential of various breeds of Heartless and they're notable features. "We'll go look for Master Ox and Master Croc."

Monkey nodded, "Got it."

Crane wriggled his wings and gave a brief nod, "Roger!"

And with that the seven of them strolled further into the jail in search of the masters. They peered into each cell, staring down one prisoner after the other, trying to identify the master's faces. Even though with Po, he'd spot them instantly, seeming as how he's such big fans of them both.

"Master Ox!" Kioku called, his voice raised loud enough for it to echo throughout the cell blocks. The others followed behind him, Po called the other master's name, "Master Croc!"

Walking further into the cell block, Po had discovered both Master Ox and Master Croc sitting inside the same cell, both of them looking rather melancholic and deathly defeated. The panda exclaimed happily as he raced to their cell and meet them, "No way! There they are! The kung fu legends themselves!"

Kioku reached out to him in an effort to slow him down, but he was already there in front of their cell. "Po!"

Even though Po looked at the two of them with great inspiration and valor, being in the presence of his captured heroes, who just sat in their cell and looked up pitifully, basking in their own self-guilt and pity, most likely from being unable to stop the weapon that killed their former friend and leader of Gongmen City. Kioku and the others caught up with Po and meeting up with them for the first time.

"Hey, we came to break you guys out!" Po explained quickly, "Oh man, I can't believe I'm really breaking out _actual_ kung fu legends!" He said, blushing madly.

Patrick nudged Tigress, with Mantis on his shoulder. He whispered, "Po's getting kinda sweaty.."

Kioku walked up to the cell's door with his Keyblade in hand, looking back at Po with a face. "Alright, alright...keep your pants on will ya?" He rolled his eyes, dismissing Po's fangirlish attitude. He twirled his Keyblade and tapped on the door, causing it to swing open. "Nice to meet you guys, I'm Kioku." The boy introduced himself with a respectful nod.

He pointed a thumb to Po, "The excited school girl here, is Po, the Dragon Warrior."

"The sponge and the starfish are Spongebob and Patrick," The two waved in unison.

"And behind them, are the Furious Five." Kioku said, finishing the introductions. "And we've come to get you guys outta here, Gongmen City is in serious trouble."

Even though Kioku stated the obvious threat that was upon Gongmen City, his words were not enough to make either of the two stand up. Instead, they gazed up at the boy and his friends, taking in their diferent appearances, yet sharing the same serious, brazen faces. A few seconds passed and Kioku's optimistic smile drooped as the silence set in. " _Sooo..._ You comin'?"'

The ox shook his head, "There is nothing we can do to stop them. If we stand up to Shen, he'll turn his weapon onto the city." The ox's words making Kioku sharpen his eyes into a glare. "Wait, what? What sense does that make—standing down in order to protect the city, you're only hurting everyone!"

Master Ox stood up and walked up to meet Kioku face to face, slamming the door closed, causing the boy to slightly flinch backwards. "That weapon, and those monsters. Only a fool would try to face something as demonic as the Heartless."

Kioku pointed to himself and his two friends, "Hi, I'm Kioku and these guys are Spongebob and Patrick! We've taken on both the Heartless and Vicky and beaten them both. We can do it a second time!" The teen argued. "Plus, we'll just march in there and destroy Shen's weapon."

Master Croc growled, "Then do it yourselves. Kung Fu is finished." He said, his voice shifting in a melancholic tone.

Spongebob frowned and crossed his arms, "Hey! You call yourselves _'kung fu legends',_ yet you choose to sit in this cell and let down the whole city!" He scolded, disappointed at the attitudes of Po's heroes. The words of Spongebob had stunned Po as they should've with the two they were directed at, but he couldn't help but agree. "Spongebob is right, whatever happened to being heroes—making everyone happy?" Po asked.

Master Ox growled back, "The only hero in this town is a dead one! If you want to risk your lives to try and change the fate of this city, then be our guests!"

Irritation jolted through Kioku's body and his fist slammed against the cell with loud clang startling his team around him, his vigorous eyes peering into the defeated ox's. "Fine! Then if you want to stay here caged up in your own despair then be _our_ guests." Kioku shouted, fuming with anger. "Y'know, for some supposedly being some high and mighty _legends_ you guys sure are a couple of—"

 ** _"KA-CAW!"_**

The call of the crane from the entrance had interrupt the argument while also alerting them of the enemies. The door had burst open and wolf soldiers along with Heartless had begin to storm the jail, ambushing the heroes. Kioku and others got into defensive stances and looked around as their enemies surrounds and outnumbered them. The wolf soldiers cleared a path for Boss Wolf and another familiar face. Vicky walked alongside the wolf, smiling at Kioku, Spongebob and Patrick, whose appearance had probably made them even crabbier. The girl's shoulders bounced as she had started to giggle and then she covered her mouth as she laughed maniacally.

"Well, well, _well_. If it isn't twerp with the Keyblade and his aquarium pets." Vicky cackled, hurling one insult after the other. "Long time—no see." She winked, saluting the three of them with two fingers.

Kioku spit at the ground, "I thought Link and the others had finished you off back at Hollow Bastion. It was seven against two if I remember correctly." He recalled, folding his hands behind his head. Vicky glanced at her nails, "Oh, them? We ended up retreating back to Plankton's home world."

Spongebob and Patrick gasped at the mentioning of their home, "B-Bikini Bottom?" The two had then brandished their own weapons.

"You had better not have harmed Princess Pearl, or any of the kingdom's citizens!" Spongebob threatened.

"What?" Vicky scoffed in a smug tone. "I didn't want anything to do with that place, however Plankton does have a little _something_ in the works. Call it, _Plan Z_ , with special help from moi." The girl giggled. "But I sure hope you weren't planning on taking a trip there, 'cause you guys ain't leaving." Vicky had then snapped her fingers, signaling for the wolf soldiers to seize them all. As they all put up a decent fight, they were easily outnumbered and cuffed.

"But before you guys die," Vicky taunted, "I want you all to see the demise of the city around you, at the palace!"

* * *

 ** _~Shen~_**

Inside of the throne room awaiting for the arrival of Po and Kioku, Lord Shen stood there with the Soothsayer, his wings gripping his lance with anticipation. His beak was curled into a nervous, jittery yet sadistic smile. If what the Soothsayer said was true, he would be defeated at the hands of them both. The peacock pondered, hiding his fear with a crumbling mask of confidence, how exactly strong the boy and the panda could be. What is this Keyblade—And just how powerful could it be?

"The time that you face the panda warrior and his Keywielding friend soon draws near, Shen." The goat announced calmly. "I sense fear in your heart."

The peacock pointed his lance at the Soothsayer, not moving her stagnant face. "I—am not...afraid." He said in a darker tone. "They'll be coming back to me in chains and in the custody of the Heartless. If anyone should be afraid, it's—"

"You." She interrupted. Lord Shen pushed the goat out of the way and approached the window, getting a view of the courtyard where he could see Kioku and the others being led in by Vicky and her Heartless, with Shen's grunts following them. "I'll change my fate. I will kill them both." Lord Shen bellowed, a dark energy flowing through them, causing the Soothsayer to look back at him with a face of concern.

* * *

 ** _~Gongmen City: Peacock Palace~_**

Kioku and the others were being lead into the palace, bound by tight cuffs that kept them tamed. The boy looked around, taking in the appearance of the royal palace of Gongmen City, a place that might be at the mercy of fate itself. He looked over at Vicky, who gave him her same scornful glare. "Move it, twerp." She spat as she shoved the boy up the stairs. After a lengthy climb, they had all reached the throne room, were both the Soothsayer and Lord Shen waited for them. However, the peacock stood in front of the window, his back facing them all. Vicky announced her arrival, "Yo! I'm back, as promised."

Sitting in the middle of the throne room was a large something, cloaked by a large tarp. Could this be Lord Shen's deadly weapon?

She shoved them all forward, with the Soothsayer approaching both Kioku and Po, observing them. "The warrior who wields the power of light in the shape of key, and the panda of fate." She said with smile. The goat grabbed both of their faces and squished their cheeks, "Ah, you both are as strong and as healthy as thought." She commented, causing the two to awkwardly glance at each other.

Lord Shen slowly turned around to face them, "So we meet at last, enemies of fate." The peacock smirked. Kioku and Po turned to themselves again, sharing a confused look. "He's talking to us, yeah?" Kioku asked the panda, who shrugged in response. He turned to Lord Shen, "Hey, you're Shen, right?"

The peacock nodded, "Yes, and from what Vicky has told me—you must be Kioku, the boy chosen by the Keyblade." He chuckled. "And you, panda, we finally meet at last."

Po scoffed, "Do I even know you, dude?" He said in an irritated voice, causing the peacock to laugh. "I believe me and your kind have known each other quite well, tell me—have you already plotted your revenge on me?" he asked, causing the panda to narrow his eyes.

"Shut the hell up!" Kioku shouted. He tried to make a dash towards Lord Shen, but was stopped by one of wolf soldiers."You're not getting away with this, just so you know."

Lord Shen laughed again, "Oh I think I will—Bring them all to me."

On command, the soldiers had grabbed them all and dragged them to the other side of the throne room, one of wolf soldiers had turned the cloaked object in the direction of Kioku and the others, with Lord Shen walking towards it. The soldiers had opened the balcony doors and stepped to the side. Lord Shen grabbed the tarp, "Under this tarp lies the weapon that will singlehandedly destroy Kung Fu," The peacock announced. "The weapon—that will end your lives."

He ripped the tarp off, revealing the large cannon that took down Master Thundering Rhino. It was gigantic, looking like one shot from it's large barrel would disintegrate anyone in it's path. Boss Wolf lit a match and lifted it towards the fuse, "Better say your prayers."

"Kioku, this isn't the end—is it?" Patrick whispered to his friend, his voice shaking.

Kioku shook his head, "The end? _Nah_." The teen replied nonchalantly. In a flash of light, Mantis had struck the match out of Boss Wolf's hand and knocked him away with another blow. Soon, in a turn of events, Tigress was freed from her bonds by Viper, and quickly freed everyone else from their cuffs. Kioku summons his Keyblade and spins around, Po ducking in time so that the Keyblade could strike an attacking wolf. Spongebob brandished his staff and knocks away another soldier with a flurry of explosive bubbles. Lord Shen grips his lance, a shocked expression on his face.

Vicky's fists glow with darkness, "Bastards. How did you—" She was then interrupted from her thoughts as she was struck by one of Patrick's shields.

"Get that cannon!" Kioku ordered as he came running towards Lord Shen. They clashed their weapons together, pushing against each other's strength. "Why don't we see how powerful that Keyblade of your's is, boy."

Kioku grunted, "I'll kick your feathered ass, Shen!" He said as he shoved the peacock backwards.

* * *

 ** _(INFORMATION: Destroy the cannon and subdue Lord Shen with the help of Po!)_**

 ** _(Boss Theme: Vim and Vigor)_**

Lord Shen spun his lance rapidly and flipped towards the two of them, swing it around with finesse and great precision. The two dodged the peacock's swift, agile attacks and retaliated with some of their own. Kioku swung his Keyblade and parried the bird's lance, giving Po the chance to slide in and sweep Lord Shen into the air with a sliding attack. Kioku flipped towards Po and used his body as a spring to meet Lord Shen in the air and attack the foe with a series of acrobatic aerial strikes. He had then twirled his weapon and slammed it into Lord Shen a final time, knocking the peacock back to the ground. Lord Shen regained his footing and flipped backwards, "Impressive! You're just as strong as I was told." He chuckled nervously. He clutched his heart and a dark aura rushed over him, Heartless emerged from the ground, Shadows and Soldiers, along with vicious bird-looking Heartless with long beaks and talons, the Heartless emblem on their backs.

Kioku gasped, "You—You just called Heartless!" He tightened his grip on his Keyblade and lowered himself into his stance again. The smug, posh look on Lord Shen's face had now shifted into a deranged, psychotic smile. "With this power—I will change my fate! I will destroy you!" He had then charged towards Kioku with his Lance pointed at him, intending to impale him. Kioku spun his Keyblade like a propeller and knocked his lance out of his grasp, he then jumped and struck Lord Shen again, causing him to stumble backwards.

Meanwhile, Tigress and the others went after the cannon, fighting through wolves and Heartless alike. Patrick wound up his shields and punched the cannon into the air, followed up by Tigress who leaped after it and struck it several more times. "Monkey!" She called, summoning Monkey over to deliver a strike to vanquish the weapon. He delivered a kick to the large cannon, sending it crashing down the place floors. Spongebob and Patrick cheered merrily, "Mother of Pearl! We've saved Gongmen City!"

Patrick whistled, "The weapon has been destroyed!"

Po grabbed the staggering peacock and slammed him on the ground, pinning him down. Lord Shen had then splayed out his tail feathers and Po sees the red eye emblem of the feathers and the panda freezes up—just like before.

 _His mind envisioned a mother panda running from her infant son_

 _a menacing white peacock, wielding a lance standing in the middle of a raging fire that was consuming the village around them_

 _The peacock gives a deranged smile._

Po snapped out of his vision, and he gave Lord Shen a shocked look. "You—were there?"

Lord Shen returned a satisfied smile and shoved Po away from him with his talons, "Indeed I was, panda!" Kioku exclaimed, "Po!" He then raised his Keyblade and charged at the peacock, who was running towards the balcony. "Get back here, Shen!" He shouted after him as the peacock flew off of the balcony. As the Soothsayer was about to run, she was quickly apprehended by a gorilla and taken away. Kioku cursed and turned back towards Po, who was surrounded by the others.

"Nice move, you let him go!" Kioku shouted in anger. "What happened to you back there? It was just like last time."

The panda shook his head, unable to explain the vision he had seen when he looked at that emblem. The painful memories he were unfamiliar with racing through his mind. "I dunno—I—I'm sorry Kioku...I let you guys down again, huh?" He asked, lowering his head in shame.

Patrick pat the panda on the back, "Sheesh, don't sweat it pal. At least we took down that weapon!"

 **BoOooOOOm!** The palace had shook with great force as several cannonballs came crashing into the palace. Everyone inside had scattered out of the way of fire and looked around to see where it was coming from. Kioku ran towards the balcony and peered into the distance, seeing the Fireworks Factory in the distance and the loud, thunderous explosions from the firing cannons. "That bastard! He's trying to kill us!"

"We need to get out of here, and fast!" Tigress shouted making her way towards the door. Before she could leave the room an Avianator Heartless swooped in front of her, halting her escape.

* * *

 _ **(INFORMATION: Escape the palace before the Destruction Gauge fills up. Avoid attacks from above!)**_

 _ **(Battle Theme: Rowdy Rumble)**_

The team made a dash for the door, with Kioku lashing out at the Avianator with a quick combo, vanquishing it rather quickly before continuing forward, dodging more fiery cannon balls that rained down towards them. Outside the throne room, leading down towards the flight of stairs, were Heartless awaiting them. The monsters chased after them, but they had all kept running. A cannonball slammed through the walls, crashing right through the staircase, Viper screaming at it had almost hit her.

"Stairs are too dangerous, we'll need to use a rope." Tigress announced. Kioku's mind had then clicked and his eyes locked on to the lantern rope that lead down to the lobby. He rubbed his hands together and leaped towards the rope, catching it and spun himself around, descending downward. "Let's _goooooooo_!"

The others went down after him, successfully making it down to the lobby. Once everyone made it down, they made a wild dash for the exit.

 ** _~Courtyard~_**

As they all sprint frantically towards the palace gates, they are met by more wolf soldiers and Heartless. The soldiers readied their bows and shot arrows at them, which were deflected by Mantis' speed, who had then proceeded to knock one of them out. A Soldier Heartless spun towards Kioku, it's attack being parried and in return received a devastating wallop to it, knocking it away into it's comrades. "Back off!" The teen exclaimed as he swung his weapon and struck another wolf grunt out of his way. "No time for these guys! Keep running!" Kioku shouted. Soon, the all of them had made it out of the courtyard and into the streets.

* * *

 ** _~Gongmen City: Jail~_**

Bursting back into the jail, they had found it completely vacant except for Masters Ox and Croc. All of the ran up to the cell, and saw that the two had surprised looks on their faces. Master Ox stood up angrily, "What did you fools do, it's chaotic out there—what happened to stopping Shen?" He raised his voice into a question. Everyone turned to look at Po, who coughed nervously. "Guys, guys, come on! Give me just a tiny bit of credit, okay?"

Kioku folded his arms, "Credit for letting the bad guy go—you can have all of it." He said in a snark tone, making Po jump. "Wh-Wha—"

"Po," Tigress started. "Tell us the truth. You had him. Why did you let Shen escape?" She asked in calm, yet concerned manner. A silence fell over all of them, who awaited for Po's explanation. What he could tell them may confuse them, or just make them angrier at him. How can he tell his friends about the vision he saw, a lost memory that was regained when he looked at that red eye emblem. The sight of who could be his mother abandoning him and another image of Lord Shen, standing in the middle of a burning, ruined village. Would it all make sense? Po opened his mouth to speak, yet the words refused to come out.

Kioku, Spongebob and Patrick looked on in disappointment for their friend. Tigress shook her head, "Fine—You leave us no choice." She opened the cell door and shoved Po inside before he could object. "You will be staying here, away from danger. They''ll keep you safe."

Po grabbed at the door, trying to shake it open. "Tigress, no! I have to get him!"

Kioku objected, "Po, tell us the truth! What's going on!"

"HE WAS THERE!" Po shouted, causing silence to overtake the jail. He lowered his head, "He—He was there, that peacock was there the last time I saw my parents. He knows my past—That's why, I need to be there—to confront him!" The panda explained, expressing a serious tone that was new to both Kioku's gang and the Furious Five.

The panda turned towards Tigress, "So let me out of this cell, Tigress—maybe you might not understand because you're so hardcore. But, I need this closure." He sighed sadly. "I'm sorry."

Everyone looked at Tigress as she approached the cell, resting her hand on Po's affectionately. The panda looked up in surprise, looking into the tiger's strong, yet gentle eyes. "The hardcore _do_ understand—but I can't let my friend be killed." She turned to look at the rest of them, "Let's go."

Kioku, Spongebob and Patrick turned to give Po one last look. The teen gave a sympathetic look, "We'll come back for you when we're done, no hard feelings." And with that the rest of them rushed out of the building, leaving Po in the cell with his former heroes, to reflect on his actions that led him there.

* * *

 _ **~Gongmen City: Fireworks Factory~**_

Back at the Fireworks Factory, Lord Shen had ordered all of his wolves to load the ships and move them out, preparing his final attack on the city. Vicky leaned against the wall, an uninterested look on her face. "I'm getting bored, Shen. Look's like that twerp Kioku and the king's dorks are showing you and your boys up." Vicky said, taunting the peacock. "Tsk, Tsk—Just when I was growing to like you, you start to get sloppy. Then again, you can't ever trust a local to do your own job."

Lord Shen snarled and tossed a blade at Vicky, which stabbed into the wall beside her, but the girl didn't flinch a bit. She whistled and unsheathed the blade from next to her. "Sorry—Did I ruffle some feathers?" She taunted again. The peacock turned his attention back to the destroyed palace, a place he once called home. Effortlessly demolished by a barrage of cannon balls, looking at the ruins of his former childhood home made the darkness in his heart grow more and more. The Soothsayer approached him from behind, the peacock turned his head.

"You're wrong, old Soothsayer." Lord Shen cackled. We sail to victory tonight—your 'panda of fate', was really just a fool."

The Soothsayer argued back, "Are you certain that it is him who is the fool?" She asked. "You destroyed your childhood home! Just when will your anger be quenched?"

A darkness roared over Lord Shen, which made Vicky smirk as watched him fall deeper into the darkness. The peacock spread his wings, "When all of China bows to my feet."

The Soothsayer shook her head, "Shen, it is time you stop this madness."

The peacock turned to look at the goat, "And why would I do that?"

The Soothsayer looked into Shen's deranged eyes, "So that your loving parents can rest in peace." She said, causing the peacock's expression to change.

* * *

 _ **~Fireworks Factory: Entrance~**_

Kioku, Spongebob, Patrick and the Furious Five stealthily approach the entrance to the factory, staying low and out of sight of any enemies. Tigress peaked at the closing door, getting a glimpse of several cannons from the inside. She turned to the others. "If those weapons leave the factory, China will fall."

Kioku looked around, noticing a bunch of gunpowder kegs lying around, he then saw an abandoned cart and his mind clicked. He snapped his fingers, "I've got it!"

* * *

 ** _~Rekindled Memories~_**

Sneaking into the factory, the persistent Po quietly made his way towards Lord Shen's room, where he found him all alone. Now they could settle it. Lord Shen, still looking out into the night, watching the ruins of the palace illuminate with from the fire, noticed the presence of the panda. "Greetings, panda." He cackled.

"You—tell me about that night." Po demanded, his voice lowered into a serious pitch.

The peacock smirked. "What night?" Knowing exactly what Po is referring to. The panda clinched his fists, "Don't play dumb with me. You were there."

Lord Shen laughed, "Ah yes, I watched as your parents helplessly abandon you." The peacock chuckled, slowly turning around to meet with him face to face. He slowly approached him, darkness growing. Po took a step back, readying his fists for a battle, but was unsure of Lord Shen's negative energy. He then brandished his lance and swiped at the air, shooting a wave of dark energy at the panda, who quickly dodged out of the way. "Do you want to die to find the truth?"

Shen chased Po out into the factory, onto a walkway that was high above the other levels of the factory. Po slipped and fall onto the walkway, with Shen walking towards him with his lance out.

* * *

 ** _~Kioku's Plan~_**

Following Kioku's plan, everyone had loaded up the cart with a ton of powder kegs and pushed it towards the entrance. Kioku and Spongebob jump back and aim their Keyblade and staff at the kegs and fire off flaming fire spells, followed by Patrick who charged into the flaming kegs and sent them flying into the factory. The fiery cart of kegs rolled into the center of the factory, causing the wolves to back away frantically.

Kioku spun his Keyblade flashily and aimed it at the kegs, shooting it with another Fire spell that caused the cart to explode and take out any and everything on the first floor with loud boom. Po and Lord Shen look down below, and the peacock is left in shock at the destruction on the first floor. Po took the opportunity to attack and knocked Shen off of the walkway, with him regaining his own footing and racing down towards the first floor.

Meanwhile, everyone on the outside cheered in celebration of destroying Shen's weapons. But soon the cheering had stopped as Spongebob pointed to a shadowy figure making their way out of the flaming factory. coming out from the wildly dancing flames, was the panda warrior, Po. His appearance surprised them all, seeing as how they left him back in the jail. They all ran up to him and greeted him with questions and concerns.

"Hey, are you alright?" Kioku asked, "You've could've gotten hurt!"

"How did you even—" Tigress asked, right before stopping herself. "Nevermind that, I'm just glad you're okay."

Po smiled warmly, and nodded. "I couldn't just let you guys take on Shen alone— after all, I needed to ask him a few questions myself."

"About what—the parents that never loved you?" A voice cackled, descending from the skies. Lord Shen landed in front of them, appearing angrier than ever. He has his lance out, twirling it. "That's right, they abandoned you because they didn't love you."

"What?" Po exclaimed in disbelief. The peacock went on, "When I was child, I was told that a panda would stand in my way— so to prevent that I set out to get rid of all pandas. But it seems I've forgotten one." Lord Shen aimed his lance at Kioku, "And you, the Keyblade's chosen one, now that the darkness is on my side—you're my enemy as well."

A dark aura rushed over Lord Shen and he took flight into the air as if he was dodging something. Kioku gasped and shoved everyone out of the way, "Something's attacking!" He warned as everyone scattered out of the way, a huge beam of light shooting past them from behind the flames. The sound of machinery could be heard getting closer, coming from the burning factory, and emerging from the fire was a large, dragon shaped cannon-like Heartless, with two large wheels, slowly creeping out from the flames. The airborne Lord Shen descended towards the cannon Heartless, resting upon it's barrel.

Kioku summoned his Keyblade, "The darkness has completely taken this guy! He's a lost cause."

Lord Shen cackled as his power grew, "All of China will bow to Lord Shen!"

* * *

 ** _(INFORMATION: Defeat Lord Shen and the Heartless, Hostile Weaponry!)_**

 ** _(Battle Theme: Wave of Darkness)_**

"FIRE!" Lord Shen commanded, causing the Heartless to aim it's barrel and shoot off a large fiery orb at them all, making them dodge out of the way. Kioku led everyone into battle, commanding the Furious Five to take on the surrounding Heartless while him, Spongebob, Patrick and Po take on Lord Shen and his Heartless accomplice. Kioku aimed his Keyblade at the sky, casting a shocking Thunder spell that stalled the Heartless, leaving it open for free hits. Po climbed onto the Heartless' wheel and met with Shen on top on of the cannon. "This time, we end this."

Lord Shen sneered and swung his lance at Po, who dodged it rather swiftly and countered with a palm strike. Down below, Kioku and the other two were dealing damage to the Heartless' wheels, taking them out so that it wouldn't be able to move about the field. Spongebob summoned explosive bubbles above Lord Shen and the Heartless, "Po, look out from above!" he warned as he brought his staff down, causing the bubbles to come crashing down onto them. Po hopped down from the Heartless, letting the two enemies take damage from Spongebob's attack. The Hostile Weaponry let out a mechanic bellow and let out a retaliation shot, knocking everyone back before lowering it's barrel in a resting manner. Lord Shen growled and kicked the Heartless in anger, "Attack, damn you!"

The cannon had a dark red aura wash over it, and it had begin to shoot off once at time. It finally charged up a final time and let off another large beam of light circling the arena, which our heroes manages to avoid. After the burst of attacks, the Heartless rested again. Regaining their balance, everyone charged towards the cannon again while it was resting and dealt out a series of strikes. Resulting in Lord Shen toppling over and falling off of the Heartless comically, making Kioku immediately go after him. The peacock spun around with his lance in an attempt to keep Kioku away, but his attack and dodged and countered by a wallop from the boy's Keyblade sending him straight into the barrel of the Heartless cannon. Malfunctioning wildly due to the damage from the groups attacks, the Hostile Weaponry aimed itself into the sky and charged it's shot.

"Wait, wait—No!" Lord Shen exclaimed as he was shot far up into the sky, blasting away into the atmosphere. The Heartless itself toppled over and melted into darkness. Everyone gathered around, looking at each other. Soon, they heard voices from behind them, and turning around they were met with the citizens of Gongmen City, who had come to rejoice in the victory of our heroes. They all cheered and whistles, knowing that they were free from the oppressed shackles of Lord Shen.

Po turned to Kioku, "We—did it." He said plainly. A smile crept across his chubby face and he hopped into the air gleefully, "We did it!"

The rest of joined in, cheering and hollering as they celebrated their victory against the threat of Gongmen City. Kioku looked up at Po, "So, did you ever find that inner peace?" the boy asked, referring to his Master's words from earlier. Faltering, Po touched his heart and sighed. "Y'know, I think i have. About my parents—leaving me in care of my real father. I'm okay with it." He said with a satisfied smile.

"Really?" Patrick asked, earning a nod from Po.

"Yup, if it weren't for them—I would've have met my best pals in whole world!" Po cheered, hugging Kioku and Tigress, causing the others to laugh heartily. He stopped and looked around sincerely, "And I guess it was all just fate."

"Indeed it was," A disembodied voice called. A corridor of darkness opened up from behind them and out stepped a figure in a black coat, their face shrouded by a hood. They all spun around and Kioku readied his Keyblade. "Syndicate XIII!"

Tigress cracked her knuckles, "We've seen the Heartless, and these must be those cloaked bad guys you told us about." she commented. The black coat walked towards them. "Maybe you should worry about your own fate, Kioku. And what you must do to bring back—him." They said, pointing to Kioku's chest.

"Look, I dunno what the hell you're talking about." Kioku shouted, dismissing the figure's statement. "If you're looking for a brawl, then I'll happily rearrange your face!" The hooded figure remained unmoved by the boy's threat, opening a corridor of darkness behind themselves. "Ikkxou, you deserter. We will get you." They muttered darkly behind walking into the portal and disappearing.

"Eek—zoo?" Kioku repeated in a confused tone. "What the hell is a Eekzoo?"

A flash of light had suddenly emitted from the ground and slowly elevated into air, catching the attention of Mantis. "Hey, uh..guys?" he called. Kioku and the others turned their attention to the floating light, and the boy walked over to approach it. It was revealed to be a red eye emblem, left behind by Lord Shen. Kioku lowered his Keyblade as a crown appeared at his feet, a large Keyhole revealing the gate to the next world. Kioku spun his blade and aimed it at the gate, shooting a beam of light, unlocking it with a loud click.

Kioku dismissed his Keyblade, "Alright Mr. Dragon Warrior, we've gotta blast—but we'll be back soon." He waved. "Let us know if hear anything about Heartless or Nobodies. We'll come runnin'."

"Keep the place safe while we're away!" Spongebob cheered.

Tigress reached into her pocket and handed Kioku a keychain, "We await for your return." She slowly nodded.

Po and Kioku looked at each other one last time, just before fist bumping. "Ska _doosh_!

* * *

 ** _OBTAINED:_**

 ** _Bamboo Peach_**

 ** _STRENGTH: +6_**

 ** _MAGIC: +4_**

 ** _ABILITY: Combo Haste/Critical Plus_**

* * *

 ** _~Dark Hearts~_**

"Give me a break," Vicky sighed, crossing her arms with an annoyed pout. She stood on top of Fireworks Factory, only moments after Lord Shen's embarrassing defeat by the hands of her most troublesome foe, Kioku. Down below, she could see the Gongmen City liberated in bright lights, the citizens celebrating after living in fear for their lives. To Kioku, that was sign of victory. Not so much for the young villainess. She had hated the fact that after a year's absence, had those three yet again foiled her plans to take over the worlds. Her plan to rule over every world she could unleash Heartless into. She had acknowledged her former mentor's words, 'Never fully trust a local villain to do your own dirty work, unless they had some control over the darkness'. While Lord Shen had impressive control over the darkness, in the end had it let himself get completely consumed by it, resulting in his defeat. It was good, but not good enough. But the single thought of being triumphed, even in the look of things being in her favor, pissed Vicky off to no end.

"Don't think you've won just yet, Kioku." She cackled. "You ain't seen the last of old Vicky. This is only the beginning."


	11. Chapter 10: The Lavish Land of Fairytale

**Chapter 10: The Lavish Land of Fairytales**

 _ **~Gummi Ship~**_

After the three of them had visited Valley of Peace and defeated the darkness that threatened the land, along with coming face to face with an old foe, Kioku slumped into his seat in exhaustion. "Oh—my—god." He exhaled weakly. Sitting up, stretching his limbs and yawning his yawns, the boy was ready to continue his quest to find Yoru and the King, still ever so cautious about the foes who lurk in the shadows.

"I'm glad we were able to help out Po and his friends." Spongebob commented happily. He turned towards the other two, "Even though we nearly died, I had a lot of fun!"

"Agreed, my good pal!" Patrick nodded, agreeing with his friend in a posh tone. "An adventure isn't fun without a little danger, after all."

Kioku laughed, "Just as long as it's not too much danger." He paused, a sly smirk crept upon his face. "I love danger, though."

 _ **"ALRIGHT! ALRIGHT! ENOUGH WITH THE DANGER TALK!"**_ Alvin chimed in loudly on the intercom. **_"You three boys did a little too well in the last world, keep up the good work, fellas!"_** The chipmunk complimented, making Kioku give a cheesy, cocky smile. Simon and Theodore interjected as well.

 ** _"Y-You three shouldn't talk about d-danger so much!"_** Theodore stuttered, only simply discussing about the word leaves the chubbier chipmunk shaking in fear.

 ** _"Nevermind Theo," Simon started. "You guys are doing a tremendous job, everyone's counting on you!"_**

Kioku turned back towards Spongebob and Patrick, an adventurous and ambitious look on his face. "You heard 'em, boys!" He shouted, spinning around and grabbing his controls. "Let's keep rockin'!" He slammed his thumb on the button and propelled the Gummi Ship towards the next world, another familiar place that they were set to explore. Spongebob and Patrick both holding on for dear life, as Kioku was piloting the Gummi Ship.

* * *

 ** _~Far Far Away: Kingdom's Shopping District~_**

 ** _~Field Theme: Kingdom of Luxury~_**

The Kingdom of Far Far Away was an extremely thriving one, a place where only the richest of all fairytale creatures had lived in. It was also known as the land of opportunity for some of those wishing to get their big break. There were people walking to and from places, carriages strolling through the busy streets, along with many high-end shops for those with disposable income to indulge themselves in daily. However, for Kioku, Spongebob and Patrick, it had seemed like they had only landed in the wrong area. Initially aiming for a spot close to Shrek's swamp, Kioku had actually landed _far_ from where he was supposed to. As the three walked from out of a vacant alleyway, where they had hidden their ship.

The teen shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket awkwardly, looking around at the luxurious city around them and quickly realizing that this was **_not_** Shrek's swamp, but still liked the scenery. " _Yeaaah_ ," Kioku nodded twice, looking around again. "This _definitely_ isn't Shrek's place. It's way too clean, and this place smells too nice."

Spongebob slapped Kioku on back, laughing loudly, "Next time, I'll pilot the ship—thanks, sport~." he winked as his voice oozed with sarcasm, making Kioku stick his tongue out at the sponge. "Screw you, talking-block-of-cheese." He teased back. Patrick looked around, taking in the odd stares from the world's inhabitants, causing him to stick closer to his companions.

"How rude! It isn't nice to stare at people you know!" Patrick shouted loudly, causing the civilians around them to look and quickly walk away. Seeing as there were a ton of people around, maybe searching for Yoru and the King might be easier considering the fact that they'd stick out like sore thumbs, much like themselves in any case. Kioku sighed and folded his hands behind his head, "Welp, the search begins—"

"Now I know I don't see who I think I see!" A fast talking, friendly voice had called out to them. "Kioku, Spongebob, Patrick—Over here!" the voice had continuously called again and again, trying get their attention in the crowd of people. Kioku had turned around in the direction the voice was coming from and spotted a white, pumpkin shaped carriage strolling towards them. Hanging out the window, chanting the three's names, was none other than Donkey. The teen's face lit up with happiness. "Yo! Donkey, what's up!" He waved excitedly. The teen turned back to whisper, "Hey, check it out—it's Donkey pulling up in that carriage."

"DONKEY?!" Spongebob and Patrick exclaimed joyfully in unison. "Then that means—"

The carriage had finally stopped in front of them, and inside were Donkey, Shrek, and Princess Fiona. The male ogre appearing grumpy, while the other ogre was more than happy to see her friends. "Kioku! Spongebob! Patrick!" She screamed as she hopped out and grabbed all three of them into a grappling hug, squeezing tightly instantly. "How have you been?! It's been so long since we've last seen each other!" She squealed with pure joy. "Ever since that big battle at Hollow Bastion—come to think of it, I never even thanked you guys for it!" Fiona laughed, squeezing tighter, much to the three's dismay.

Shrek rolled his eyes, his fist tucked under chin in a grumpy manner. "Aye, Aye—I think they get the point, just don't suffocate them." he groaned. Fiona gasped and let go of her hold on the three, who were finally breathing again. The ogre princess' green face had become tinted red with embarrassment, "Sorry, guys—I'm just a little excited is all." She exhaled calmly.

Patrick coughed, "What's the big news?" He asked curiously. Fiona stepped into the carriage, holding the door open for them. "Hop in, I'll tell you all about it on the way there!" She said, indicating that they were heading somewhere.

Shrek sighed, "Fiona—I don't know if your-" He started only to be interrupted by Donkey's hoof covering his mouth. "I think they'd be more than happy, considering these three helped you saved your girl and all."

Kioku groaned with impatience as him and the other two climbed into the carriage, "Just tell us already! I'm dying to know—who else is gonna be happy to see us?"

The male ogre rubbed his temples, "We're going to see Fiona's parents—my in-laws." Shrek said grumpily, looking out of the window of the strolling carriage. Kioku and the others winced, feeling slight pity on Shrek's part. "Ooh.." Spongebob whistled, crossing one leg over the other one.

Fiona giggled, "Don't mind Shrek, he's just a little grumpy from the trip." She gave the three a welcoming smile, "So, what brings you guys to the kingdom?"

Kioku rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "Well, we actually intended on going to the swamp—but I _guess_ we ended up here." He chuckled, not mentioning his miscalculation with his landing, saving him the embarassment. "Besides, the Heartless are back, along with a whole gang of new enemies." He explained. "And if that's not enough, we have to look for Yoru and King Krabs _again_." He groaned with irritation.

"Guess a hero's work is never done, eh?" Donkey shrugged. Kioku, Spongebob and Patrick gave each other the same tired look. "You can say that again." The three said in unison, slouching down in their seats in comical despair. Shrek glanced at Kioku, who was squished in next to him, and lightly nudged him. "Aye, where's the wee lad who helped us save me wife and me swamp?" The ogre asked. "The lad was sure courageous, and as blunt as a mallet."

A smile flashed onto Kioku's face, "He's sitting right next to you," He replied with a shout.

"The should sound more like him, lad." Shrek said with smirk. "You've looked like you've grown from the beansprout you were almost a year back." He chuckled.

Kioku's cheeks flushed red, "Are you calling me short, onion breath?!" He asked back in a playful tone, causing the ogre to give a hearty laugh. The others looked on as the two bonded in such an aggressive, brotherly manner, resulting in the whole carriage erupting into laughter. Shrek ruffled Kioku's hair, "I've missed you lad! I've gotta say, you've actually cheered me up a wee bit." The ogre said, patting the teen's shoulder. Spongebob leaned over, "Yup! Except we still have to meet your parents-in-laws."

Shrek's smile had then reverted back to his annoyed, scary scowl. "And the sponge reminds me!"

Spongebob flinched, "S-Sorry, I was only trying to be optimistic!"

Donkey shook his head, "Parents-in-laws are a serious matter, Spongebob. It's a touchy subject." He sighed. The carriage continued further into the Kingdom, with the group of rejoiced friends sharing an honest conversation, taking in the new sights around them, with Donkey's innocent obnoxiousness as they passed by everything. It had made Kioku feel an intense warmness in his heart, with Shrek reminding him of Yoru, and their playful banter. He didn't know why, but he felt like Yoru was close by, yet very far away. Spongebob and Patrick felt the same way about their King. Close, yet far way. Either way, the three of them were determined to find the two and bring the Syndicate XIII down.

Looking out of the window, Kioku saw an animated, billboard of an elderly woman dressed in elegant clothing, sporting glasses and wings and holding a wand, with the words in big, wide red letters saying "FAIRY GODMOTHER!" along with a caption at the bottom reading, "For all your Happily Ever Afters!". He gazed in awe, having never seen such architecture before in a world like this. Shrek sighed, "We definitely not in the swamp anymore." He expressed in a grim expression, causing Fiona to rest her hand over him, a concerned frown on her face. The male ogre smiled awkwardly, as the sounds of people cheering had begin to follow the carriage.

Kioku turned around to get a look, and was amazed at how many people were following them on foot, and in many different carriages. Cheering and hollering, letting off balloons into the sky. "Gee Fiona, you sure are popular here!"

Fiona giggled, "Get out!" She said as her nervous giggle evolved into laughter, forcefully shoving the boy and nearly knocking him over. She winced at the boy, "Kioku! I'm so sorry!" She apologized, earned and hand wave from the teen. "Nope, nope, I'm good! I might have a cracked rib." He joked calmly. Fiona nodded, "But yes, everyone here has heard about my return and are eager to see me!" She bounced in excitement. "I can't wait to see Mommy and Daddy!"

* * *

 **~Far Far Away: Castle Courtyard~**

The carriage had strolled over the hills and was approaching the large castle gates, with the party's entourage following behind them loyally. The two guards had swung the gates open simultaneously, allowing the carriage to travel farther and reach the overwhelmingly spacious courtyard, which had greeted them with a flowing fountain within the center and an audience ranging from almost a thousand people were present and surrounding them as they were strolled up to the entrance, confetti snowing down everywhere. Kioku's heart nearly dropped, "What the hell, the whole friggin' kingdom is at your house!" he exclaimed, looking around at all of they people who were cheering and applauding. Soon, the carriage had came to a stop, indicating that they've stopped in front of the Castle, with a long red carpet reached far down to the castle entrance. Kioku sat down and peered out of the window, getting a glimpse of an elderly couple, dressed in royal cloaked, letting him know that those were Fiona's parents and two men dressed in funny looking clothing holding trumpets of stood on both sides of the King and Queen. Shrek yanked him back, "N-No peeking, lad!" He said cautiously to the boy.

The two trumpeters played a fanfare in unison, and crowds of people became silent. A messenger stepped out and opens a scroll, reading off of it he said, "Announcing the long-awaited return of the beautiful Princess Fiona and her new husband!" Applause erupting shortly afterwards. Fiona turned to all of them, "Well, this is it everybody." She smiled nervously. The trumpeters played another fanfare as the door was opened and everyone stepped out of the carriage, the reaction to it being extremely priceless. The courtyard went completely dead silent as Kioku and the others stepped onto the carpet, with tension and immense awkwardness filling the air. Kioku casually folded his arms behind his head, looking around at the shock, astounded and utterly surprised kingdom. While the kingdom was in shock—so were the King and Queen, who were wondering where in the world was their beautiful Princess Fiona. In fact, the whole kingdom shared the same thought.

Kioku pursed his lips, He crouched down to Spongebob's level. "Bet you 4000 munny that these guys were _not_ expecting this." He whispered low enough for the sponge to hear him, just before standing back up. Shrek whispered to Fiona, "So do you still think this is a good idea?" he asked. Fiona nodded, "Of course, look—they look happy to see us." She said, gesturing towards her parents, who still wore shocked expressions.

They slowly walked down the aisle, taking in everybody's reaction to what they have seen. Embarrassment aside, The party was discussing among themselves, mostly just Shrek and Fiona arguing behind whispers. "Okay, we saw your parents, now let's go before the torches are lit."

The princess shook her head, declining the offer. "No, these are my parents." She argued. Kioku looked up at Fiona, chiming in, "Didn't they lock you in, like, a tower?" he asked.

"It was for my own good, Kioku." Fiona replied in a heighten, melodic tone while still trying to keep a calm face.

"Still a bit harsh, but maybe they'll accept your true form," Spongebob whispered, adding in. "After all it isn't your fault."

Shrek immediately retorted, "Are ye crazy? Seems like you've been away a while—these people don't like _ogres_. Especially in a snobbish place like this." He explained quietly. "I'm surprised we haven't been seized and hung yet."

"Shrek, watch your mouth!" Fiona grunted, nudging her husband lightly. The party and the King and Queen grew closer and closer, soon meeting with them face to face. Kioku looked up at the King and Queen, who both looked on at the party like the circus had came into town. Silence had set in before Fiona introduced them all.

"Mom...Dad—This is my husband Shrek. He rescued me from the tower." She said, introducing Shrek, who waved awkwardly. She then gestured towards the other four, "These gentlemen, Kioku, Spongebob, and Patrick—they also aided in my rescue and I consider close friends. Along with our pet, and friend—Donkey."

Kioku looked the King up and down, giving him a short, respectful bow. "Your majesty.." he then smiled at the Queen, who returned the gesture.

"I see where she gets her good looks from." Shrek said, in an attempt to compliment the Queen. Another awkward silence filled the air and the King cleared his throat, "It is nice to meet you, young man." he said to Kioku, who waved. "Why don't we all head inside for dinner?" he proposed. The King and Queen turned around and had started to lead them all in, followed by a line of guards. Kioku and the other all exchanged looks in between each other and had proceeded to follow them inside the castle.

* * *

 ** _~Cloaked Spies~_**

On the outskirts of the city were two patrolling Syndicate XIII members, who could see all of the commotion going on about the humongous castle. The two observed carefully, taking in the surroundings of the world. One of the coat's spoke, "I got some intel about a new potential member. Someone who could be a destructive ally within our ranks."

The other cloak scoffed, "You don't mean that smelly, green monster, do you?" The feminine cloak gagged. "Total grossness."

"If we are able to turn him into a Heartless, we will be able to get a hold of his Nobody." The tall cloak explained. "Then, we could be able to crush the Keybearer. Plain and simple."

"What do you seen in that thing, anyways?" The feminine cloak asked, curious as to why he would want to recruit the Nobody of an ogre.

"I've been watching him for a while—his strength is beast-like. And his attitude his ferocious." He explained. "His powers as a Nobody will amplify."

The other cloak nodded, "Huh, I guess so." She cackled, "How 'bout we let our pets run loose and play around in this world for a bit—I'm curious to see how well the ogre and Keywielder work together in battle. The cloak had then snapped her fingers and appearing by her side were twin lance-wielding Nobodies called Lancers and pointed forward, sending them off to cause havoc. The taller cloak snapped his fingers and he summoned a couple of his own Nobodies, who took on the appearance of samurais wielding multiple swords that quickly chased after the Lancers.

"Let the games begin!"

* * *

 ** _{Party In: Shrek}_**

 ** _Party Member info: Shrek_**

 _ **Ground Pound** : Shrek will beat on the ground with his will stun the enemies close to him and give Kioku some time for attacks._

 _ **Spinning Lariat** : Shrek will hold out both of his arms to his sides and spin around the area, this is similar to Goofy's attack, "Goofy Tornado"._

 _ **Double Legged Drop Kick** : Shrek hops up in the air and drop kicks an enemy, the enemy will ricochet and hit another one if it's nearby. If not, then the enemy will fly towards Kioku so that he can defeat it with a quick strike._

 _ **Ogre's Roar** : Shrek roars at the enemy, this will stun them._

 _ **Onion Toss** : Shrek will throw onions which will explode into brown gas and will inflict both damage and confusion onto the enemy._

 _ **Green Storm** : Shrek will hop into the air and slam his butt onto the ground, causing a green mist to knock all surrounding enemies back and inflict them with Poison._

 ** _Berserk Charge:_** _Shrek will elbow charge through a horde of enemies, knocking them back while stunning them._

 ** _LIMIT: Swamp Wrath_**

 _ **"Shrek!"**_

 _ **"Don't say I didn't warn 'ye!"**_

 _After activating the limit, Kioku and Shrek will stand back to back and deliver a thunderous twin bellow towards the surrounding enemies, stunning them with several rapid shockwaves. **Giant's Fists** , will let Kioku and Shrek spin around each other before slamming down on the ground, causing splash damage from the massive shockwave. **Ogre's Bludgeon** , shows Shrek swinging Kioku around like a club whilst then teen holds his Keyblade out, dealing multiple walloping strikes. The finisher, **Twin Bellow** , shows Kioku retreating back towards Shrek, whose back is facing his. The two charge up and release a destructive roar, which vanquish all of the remaining enemies in an explosive splash._


	12. Chapter 11: A God Mother's Wish

**Chapter 11: A God Mother's Wish**

 _ **~Far, Far Away: Dining Room~**_

After being lead through the foyer of the mega-sized castle, Kioku and the rest of the party were then being escorted towards the dining room. The guards opened the doors and proceeded to show them all to their seats at a lengthy dinner table. Shrek and the King sat on both ends of the table while everyone else sat on the opposite sides from each other. Servers from the kitchen had come into the dining room, setting a plate of what looked to be several baked snail shells, which were lightly glazed. Silverware was set in front of them as well. Kioku grimaced at his plate and poked at the food with his fork. "Uh..looks good.." He chuckled, darting his eyes around the table. The King looked over at him, presenting a question. "So, er— _Kioku_ was it—how do you know Shrek?"

The teen picked up a snail with his fork, lifting it up. "We took on bad guys together back in a Kingdom called Duloc. We beat up what's-his-face, remember?" Kioku answered as he recalled the events from his previous adventure, elbowing Spongebob in encouragement. The sponge nodded, "Oh yeah! We beat up that pint-sized king, Farquaad! He was a real jerk!"

The Queen turned to them, "I remember hearing of it, But I hadn't known such an unorthodox party had taken down a man as powerful as Lord Farquaad." She said, tilting her head with a strange smile of admiration. Kioku let out a melodic chortle, rubbing the back of his hair as his cheeks burned a bright pink. "Aww, he wasn't so tough!"

Donkey added in, "And to think that midget would've married someone like Fiona!" He shuddered at the thought. "Good thing Dragon had gobbled that fool up like old leftovers!" His ears then descended into sadness. " _I miss my baby girl~"_ He muttered to himself as he sunk his head in comical melancholy. The King's expression shifted into a skeptical one and he munched on a snail. Kioku bit into the shell, the texture ranging from crunchy and gooey soft circulated in his mouth. The taste was salty, yet kind of exotic and he swallowed the crushed bits, leaving him with a unsatisfied look on his face. "These snails are kinda alright.." The teen critiqued immaturely. Spongebob lightly pushed the plate away, "No thank you, I have a loving pet snail to think about." He stated, holding onto his stomach. While Patrick on the other hand, devoured the crunchy snails—indulging in the food this world had to offer. His mouth was covered in crumbs and snail juice, earning disgusted faces from both the King and Queen. A belch had then bellowed from the pit of the starfish's stomach, emitting a foul smell at the table and unhappy looks. Fiona held her face in embarrassment.

Shrek laughed, "Better in than out, I'd say!" the ogre joked, looking around for any chuckles. Kioku picked up a napkin and dabbed at his companion's mouth, sopping up the food from around his mouth. "Excuse Patrick, he can be kinda gross sometimes." He said, apologizing for his friend's behavior.

Multiple servers had then burst out from the kitchen, each of them replacing their snails with a small bowl of water in front of each of them. Kioku leaned down to sniff at the bowl, getting a soapy-alcoholic citrus-esque smell from it. And from watching Fiona and her parents lightly dip their hands into it had told them that it was used to clean their hands. So Kioku followed, lightly dipping his fingertips into his bowl, careful not to get his gloves wet. Soon, his two friends followed in his actions.

While Shrek seemed confused, he picked up his spoon and sipped some of the liquid, must've not knowing it was soap before looking up at everyone else. He gave an embarrassed smile and looked away. The Queen had then cleared her throat to speak, "So Fiona, why don't us tell where you live?" She asked, trying to get conversation between the table going. Fiona hesitated, "Well, you see—Shrek owns his own land. Right, honey?" The princess chattered, smiling at her husband.

Shrek rolled his eyes, "Yeah, it's a magical forest where cute woodland creatures fester about. Such a thriving community." He explained in an convincing tone, only for Patrick and Donkey to start laughing at him. The starfish raised a nub, "You mean your swamp, right?"

The ogre gritted his teeth, " _Patrick_.."

The King gave a smug chuckle, "An ogre from a swamp, how original." he spoke, as the servers returned with soup for the whole table. As the hot bowl of broth, vegetables and chicken were set down in front of Kioku, he picked up his spoon and had began to eat—as he had not eaten much since he left Valley of Peace. The soup was delicious, and the flavor encouraged the boy to eat a little more. The Queen pursed her lips, looking at her own husband before reverting her gaze back to her unfamiliar looking daughter. "Well, I suppose it would be a fine place to raise the children." The words of the Queen had choked both Shrek and the King, making them cough up their soup involuntarily.

Shrek beat his chest as he tried to compose himself, "It's a bit early to be thinking about that, yeah?"

"Indeed," The King heaved. "And I had just started eating..." he muttered, causing the Queen to bark at him. " _Harold_!"

Kioku sipped from his goblet, looking back and forth between King Harold and Shrek. "Oh _snap_ , Shrek, you're just gonna take that?" The teen instigated softly, causing Spongebob to smack the teen in the back of his head with his staff.

"Of course not—What in the hell is that supposed to mean?" Shrek asked angrily, offended by King Harold's comment.

Fiona quickly intervened, "Dad, it's great."

In which the King retorted, "For _his_ kind, yes!" referring to Shrek.

"My kind?!" Shrek raised his voice, slamming a fist on the table. Before anyone else could chime into the lovely conversation, the chef and the servers from before had started to swarm out of the kitchen, with a plethora of dishes prepared for them. Ranging from roasted turkey to boiled lobster, the dinner table was crowded with food. The servers took the bowls of soap away and placed empty, glass plates in front of them. "Dinner is served." The chef bowed elegantly. Kioku licked his lips, a dribble of drool hanging from his mouth in hunger. "Oh man, I'm starving!"

"I know you all must be tired from your lengthy trip," The Queen smiled, gesturing at the steaming food at the table. "Please, dig in!"

Kioku, Spongebob, and Patrick grabbed their utensils and had started to grab food and put it on their plates, "You ain't gotta tell me twice!" the teen slurped again. The King pulled a plate of lobster towards himself forcefully, "And what kind of grandchildren can I expect from you—would they be—"

" _Ogres."_ Shrek nodded slowly as he pulled a whole turkey in front of him."—Yes." He added with a growl. The Queen chuckled, "And there isn't anything wrong with that—right, Harold?" She asked, glaring at the immature King, who shook his head whilst grabbing his knife. He stabbed through the harden, red flesh of the lobster with hidden hostility and sliced it open, revealing it's soft, pale meat. "No, nothing at all—that is, assuming you don't eat your own young!" He barked at the ogre.

Fiona gasped at her father's words towards Shrek, "Dad!" she cried.

Shrek grabbed the legs of the turkey and ripped them apart barbarically, arguing back. "We usually prefer the ones _locked inside of a tower!_ " He roared, criticizing the King for locking Fiona away long ago due to her curse. Kioku chimed in, "Shrek, come on man...calm down, will ya?" He plead, shaking the ogre lightly. Fiona turned to Shrek with a narrowed, stern look. "Shrek, please. Listen to Kiok—"

"I only did it because I loved her!" The King retorted, slamming a fist on the table with a loud bang. He had then stood up from his seat and raised his voice. "You wouldn't understand, you're not her father!" He yelled. Suddenly a Soldier had emerged from the air, plopping down in the middle of the table. The presence of the Heartless caused the King and Queen to be startled and back away from the monsters, while the others sprung into action. "Heartless—here in the castle?!" Spongebob gasped.

Kioku summoned his Keyblade in a flash of light and hopped at the Soldier, who was lucky enough to avoid a swing from it to retreat back onto the spacious area, where it had called reinforcements consisting of mainly Shadows and a couple of Archers. Kioku, Spongebob, Shrek and Donkey gathered around the monster and got ready to hop into battle.

"Who said that you guys were invited?" Kioku asked, taunting the invading Heartless as he gripped his Keyblade.

* * *

 ** _~Battle Theme: Royal Rumpus~_**

 ** _[INFORMATION: Defeat all of the Heartless!]_**

Shrek charged into an Archer, instantly knocking it towards Kioku, who immediately attacked the nearby target without getting flung back at all. He continued to unleash a powerful finishing combo move and knocked a single Heartless off its feet, vanquishing it. The boy spun around and glided swiftly around Spongebob, who had constructed a ring of Fira flames to swirl around his body and pin two Shadows in place, giving Patrick the chance to inflict damage by whacking the monsters several times with his shields. Donkey did his own thing in battle, running around and donkey kicking the Soldiers into his allies, protecting Fiona and her parents, who watched the party fight off the monsters in shock. Kioku dashed towards a group of closer together enemies and lashed out at them, dancing around the Heartless acrobatically, hitting them whilst dodging their attacks and quickly cast a Thunder spell to summon a bolt of lighting to crackle down and spring them up into the air on impact.

The teen spun after them and smacked them around in mid-air, ridding them with a powerful finishing combo move that successively attacked all of the airborne Heartless at once and ending the fight. After the Heartless were cleared from the dining room, Kioku and the others turned and saw a sad, disappointed look on Fiona's face just before she stormed out of the room with tearing flooding her face.

"F-Fiona, wait up!" Kioku called after her, about to pursuit her, only to be halted by Patrick. "Kioku—" he said, shaking his head in disapproval to going after her. Shrek looked over at the King, who was shared the same look of guilt as he did and lowered his head in shame. "Damn it."

The Queen approached Kioku and his party, presenting a sympathetic smile. "Fiona will be okay, she's just upset at her father is all." she explained, looking back at King Harold with a nasty look. Her attention turned to Kioku, Spongebob and Patrick. "If you don't mind, I would like a favor from the three of you." The Queen had started. "I would like you three to keep those monsters away from the Royal Ball, your skills in combat can be useful to us."

The teen gasped in excitement, looking over at his two friends who were just as happy. Kioku nodded, "No problem, ma'am! We'll do our best to keep you and your kingdom safe from the Heartless!" he vowed, placing hand over his heart in a heroic gesture. The Queen had then turned to Shrek, who was still sulking, and smiled at him. "Shrek, my husband may not take a liking to you—but that does not change the fact that you are my son-in-law." She said, causing the ogre to look up with bright eyes. "Please, talk to Fiona and cheer her up. I hate to see her so upset in a time where she should be happy."

The five of them nodded at the Queen, with Kioku smiling brightly. "No problem, your majesty." And with that, the five of them had left the dining room and started down the corridor leading to the living quarters.

* * *

 _ **~Rejoiced Hearts~**_

After the explosive argument between her husband and the father, in addition to the Heartless making their return in this world, Fiona was overwhelmed by her emotions and had quickly retreated back to her childhood bedroom to seek solace from the chaotic night. Walking around her room, Fiona reminisced about her childhood growing up inside of a lonely tower, with only a ferocious dragon to keep her guarded as she picked up her old dolls, smiling at them warmly. Her wandering heart led her towards the open balcony, where she rested on the railing, overlooking the bright and busy kingdom of Far, Far Away. A kingdom that had rejected her return because of who her heart has chosen to love. The King, her own father, disappointed in her for who her heart had chosen to love. Fiona felt tears welling up in her eyes, as she thought about the kingdom she had let down with her changed appearance. The ogre closed her eyes and let the tears fall down her blushed, green cheeks. A droplet stained the railing, followed by several more as her crying worsened.

 _Your fallen tears have called to me_

 _So, here comes my sweet remedy_

 _I know what every princess needs_

 _For her to live life happily..._

A singing voice had lifted Fiona out of her sadness, the ogre looking up and seeing bubbles floating in the night sky all around her. An elderly woman in an elegant blue dress, with large fairy wings on her back came drifting towards the princess whimsically. As she came closer, Fiona's tears had dried and her face has projected one of curiosity, wondering who it was that she was encountering. The woman produced a skinny wand in a puff of smoke and popped out of the bubble, startling Fiona, with the ogre startling her in return. "Oh my!" The fairy giggled oddly, taking in the appearance of Fiona for the first time. "You're all—er— _grown up_." She said, waving her wand around Fiona's chest area in a passive manner.

The princess gave the elder fairy a skeptical look, "Who are you?" she asked, making the fairy scoff in shock. "Darling, I'm your Fairy Godmother!" the fairy said, introducing herself eccentrically. "Now, my dear— your tears have spilled, now what can I offer you to make things right?" Fairy Godmother asked, hovering around Fiona gleefully, who backed away skittishly. "Money, a brand new dress perhaps?" The fairy offered persistently.

"That's very nice and all, Fairy Godmother..." Fiona smiled gratefully at the fairy's kindness. "But.."

* * *

 ** _~Far, Far Away: Corridors~_**

The five of them had set out to Fiona's room to speak with her and make up for her ruined night. While Kioku, Spongebob, Patrick and Donkey were more than happy to cheer up their friend, Shrek was ready to leave and never come back. "Shrek," Kioku darted his eyes up at the ogre. "You can do the talking, we'll back you up." he suggested.

"I'd rather not do any talking, Kioku." Shrek groaned. "In fact, I'd rather be in me swamp taking a nice, hot mud bath." He said, reminiscing about the swamp again. The teen turned and stopped in front of him, making him come to a stop. "Well this isn't about you, it's about your wife." The teen said sternly. "Y'know, the girl you traveled all the way to Hollow Bastion for—with no _vessel_ mind you." Kioku went on, referring to when he met up with Shrek again unexpectedly in his previous adventure.

"If you love her that much, why run away?" Spongebob asked, causing Shrek to sigh exhaustively. The orge shook his head, "It's not that I'm running away, it's just that I don't like it here. I never wanted to travel 700 miles from my own home, just to come here and be gawked at for being an ogre!" Shrek frowned, shoving Kioku out of the way as he proceeded down the hall, approaching the door that had a sign that read "KEEP OUT!" written in crayon, suggesting that it was Fiona's room.

They all gathered around and listened, hearing Fiona's voice in addition to another one's, sounding like an elder woman. Kioku put a finger to his lips quietly and looked at Shrek, "Regardless, you have every reason to patch things up with Fiona. Don't screw this up." He whispered, lightly tapping his knuckles on the wooden doors. "Hey, it's Kioku and the others. I have Shrek with me—can we come in?" He asked in a friendly tone, hoping that she would accept his offer to talk. Silence set in, and through the door Kioku had heard light whispering. "Yes, please come in." Fiona replied, granting them access.

The teen opened the door and strolled inside, followed by everyone else. Kioku waved, but he had then caught the attention of the elder fairy hovering beside Fiona, his jaw dropping as he recognized her as the woman from the billboard. "No way, you're that woman from the large sign—Fairy Godmother, right?"

Fairy Godmother tittered, winking at the teen. "In the glittery flesh, my sweetie." She said in a harmonic voice. "Fiona, how rude, you didn't introduce to your friends here." Fiona jumped slightly at the fairy, "O-Oh, right." She stuttered in a flustered tone. She smiled and nodded at the party, "Fairy Godmother—meet my close friends—"

"Kioku,' The teen shuffled nervously as the fairy glanced at him, but the boy put on a charming smile.

"—his friends, Spongebob and Patrick," The two sea creatures salute the fairy bravely.

Fiona knelt down to Donkey, petting his mane. "My loyal steed." She said with a chortle. Shrek's face had warmed up when Fiona approached him, before turning to Fairy Godmother. "And this is my husband—Shrek." She said, her own face flushing madly. The fairy recoiled in shock, "Wait, wait—When did this happen?" she asked.

Fiona looked away nervously, "W-Well—Shrek and everyone else here had rescued me." The ogre explained. Fairy Godmother shook her head in disbelief, "No, that can't be right!"

Shrek folded his arms and rolled his eyes, "Great, more relatives." Fiona had then glared at her seemingly ungrateful husband, who was inching towards the door. "Shrek, she's only trying to help!" she said in the fairy's defense.

The ogre raised his voice, "Well maybe she could help us pack," Shrek shouted bluntly. He slapped Kioku on the back before moving towards the door. "Sorry kid, I can't stay here any longer, we're leaving."

Kioku shook his head in surprise, "You're leaving, but you just got here!"

Donkey chimed in, "Yeah Shrek, I like it here!"

Fiona gasped, "When did you decide to leave?" She asked, hurt by Shrek's decision.

"The minute we got here, now let's go." Shrek said, still waiting for Fiona to leave with him. His wife turned to the fairy with an apologetic expression. "I am so sorry..", she apologized, only for the fairy to put her hand up.

"It's okay, I have to get going, actually—" Fairy Godmother sighed. She had then pulled out three cards and handed them to Kioku, Spongebob and Patrick. "Should you ever need me, dearies, happiness is only a teardrop away." The fairy tittered again as she held out a card for Fiona, only for it to be snatched away by Shrek.

"Yeah, yeah, I've already got all of the happiness in the world, thank you very much." Shrek bellowed in a distasteful tone. A flying carriage pulled up near the balcony, implying that it was Fairy Godmother's ride. "So I see, toodle-loo, darlings." The fairy sung as she waved goodbye, retreating to her carriage and riding off into the night, leaving magical pixie dust behind as they took off.

Kioku, Spongebob and Patrick peered up at Shrek with an upset look, "Nice going." the teen groaned as he folded his hands behind his head. Shrek argued,Coming here was a bad idea!"

Fiona stomped her foot down, "Well you could've at least gotten along with my father."

"Well I didn't think I needed to get Daddy's blessing—even If I wanted it!" Shrek retorted

"You're acting like an ogre!" Fiona pouted.

"News flash for Fiona," Shrek started. "I _AM_ an ogre, and that won't ever change!"

Fiona had then folded her arms and shoved through everyone to get to the door. "I've made changes for you, so why don't you think about that." She muttered softly, just before storming out of her room. Everyone else just looked at Shrek, letting him take in the fact that he just made everything even worse with his own, childish attitude. Kioku shook his head, "Now look at what you've done." he sighed, disappointed at the result of 'talking it out'. Spongebob and Patrick retained sadden looks on their face as they looked at the door. "Poor Fiona.." Patrick sighed in sympathy.

* * *

 _ **~Dark Hearts~**_

King Harold stood on his balcony, clearing his head as he peered over his kingdom, clearing his head from the commotion that took place at dinner. His argument with the ogre, the appearance of the Heartless followed by a rather reckless fight to get rid of them. Harold was most of all upset that his daughter had chosen to marry on ogre rather than the prince they had selected for her, embarrassing himself and his kingdom. Even though he hated to see her upset, he didn't want her married to an ogre.

He yawned, blinking his eyes a few times as he turned to open the balcony doors, before hearing the neighing of a horse and it's galloping shoes, and the presence of a carriage quickly appearing behind him. The door had swung open and two large men had jumped out. "Hello, Harold." Fairy Godmother greeted, seeing the king spin around and jump in surprise. "F-Fairy Godmother, what are you doing here at this hour?"

She peered over her glasses, "Get in, we need to have a talk."

One of the guards shoved Harold forward, basically telling him to climb inside. After he got in, the guards squished themselves in beside him and slammed the door. Sitting beside Fairy Godmother was a tall, blonde, handsome looking man who had looked like he had woken up on the wrong side of the bed. King Harold chuckled nervously, "So, what's new?"

"Do you remember my son, Prince Charming?" She asked, pointing to the man next to her. "The one who was _supposed_ to save Fiona?"

The King laughed and greeted Prince Charming, "Ah, how have you been—" A guard had looked down at him, causing him to quiet down. The fairy pointed her wand at him, "We had a deal, Harold. And I assume you don't want me to go back on my word—right?" She asked in a dark, manipulative tone.

The King cowered as Fairy Godmother glared at him, knowing of the deal he made with her long before Fiona's rescue. "Fiona and Prince Charming will be together." The fairy smiled. "The ogre needs to be taken out of the picture, as well as his friends—they seem like the 'meddling' type."

Harold nodded slowly, sighing deeply. "Yes, I understand."

Fairy Godmother gave the King a reassuring look, "Believe me, this is only what's best for Fiona, and your kingdom." She tittered. One of the guards opened the door and pushed Harold back onto the balcony. The king turned to face them, "So what do you want me to do?"

"Whatever you think is best, dear." Fairy Godmother said before taking off into the skies, leaving the king by himself. Harold looked around before asking himself, "Don't tell me she wants me to—"

"Kill the ogre and the Keybearer, why of course." A corridor of darkness opened beside Harold, with a black coat stepping out of it. The hooded figure turned and faced the king, who was startled by their appearance. The black hood bowed, "Greetings."

"And you might be?" The king asked in a skeptical tone.

"Xilom." The hood figure spoke, folding it's arms. "I overheard your problem with the ogre, you could need my assistance."

Harold paused for a second, "You could help me?" He smirked. "Are you interested in any sort of payment?" Xilom shook his head, "All I am interested in is my own goal—now, allow me to assist you, would you really want to let you kingdom down?" The Nobody asked rhetorically

The king looked on in hesitation, but nodded and shook Xilom's gloved hand with a brave face. "I trust that you take care of it, for the kingdom and it's people."

Xilom snickered mischievously, "Yes, the _kingdom_." he laughed just before disappearing through a portal of darkness. "A kingdom filled with most precious of _hearts_. all of which can be of service to us."


	13. Chapter 12: A Tear Drop Away

**Chapter 12: A Tear Drop Away**

 ** _~Far, Far Away: Dark Forests~_**

Bubble Bass cowered in fear as he traversed through the dark, frightful forests, looking around cautiously at the world Vicky had sent him to. His mission was to find the whereabouts of Kioku, Spongebob and Patrick to eliminate them, or if he couldn't find them—unleash the Heartless anayways and let them do the work. Of course, he was quick to send the Heartless off to cause trouble. However, he had been in Far, Far Away for almost a whole day and he still couldn't find the three in the forest, even checking near an old, dirty swamp for clues. After searching to no avail, the large fish found himself standing in front of a pub that sat in the center of the woods. Desperate for clues, Bubble Bass entered the pub in hopes of finding out anything. Upon walking in, the pub's patrons turned an eye to his presence, looking the outsider up an down with a skeptical eye. Which made the fish even more intimidated.

Bubble Bass approached the bar, taking a seat next to a headless man and cleared his throat. "U-Um, excuse me miss." He coughed, trying to get the attention of the female bartender standing behind the counter. The woman turned around, revealing her rather ugly-looking face, making Bubble Bass recoil in disgust. "What can I do for ya?" The woman spoke in a deepened, masculine tone.

Stammering, Bubble Bass had immediately cut to the chase, "You wouldn't happen to know anything about a boy with a Keyblade traveling through here, would you?" The fish asked, earning an odd look from the ugly woman. She shook her head, "Why—you need him taken care of?"

Bubble Bass jumped, quickly nodding his head. "Oh yes, yes! I do—he travels with two other-"

The woman pointed to the back, "The guy you wanna talk you is back there. He can deal with stuff like this." She informed.

Bubble Bass stood up and chuckled, "Thank you kindly, miss." He bowed, walking back towards the room she showed him. He entered, being greeted by a pitch black room and a set of green cat-like eyes peering through the darkness. A set of boots were resting casually on the desk, and Bubble Bass had stammered again, "H-Hello?"

"Who dares speak to me?" The person asked, the eyes and boots moving as a reaction.

"I-I'm told that you can take care of a problem for me.." Bubble Bass smiled slyly. The eyes closed, implying that they nodded. "Yes, but only for a good price that is." The person replied in a smooth accent, tapping the heel of their boot on the desk. Bubble Bass snapped his fingers and a bag of Munny appeared in his hand in a poof of smoke. He set in on the desk in front of the boots. A laugh had erupted from the darkness and the swipe of a rapier had sliced open the bag, the golden Munny chiming melodically as it spilled out from the slit of the bag. "Now, that you have engaged my service—who is this person, or _pppersons._ " The figure purred.

"Their names are Kioku, Spongebob, and Patrick." Bubble Bass explained. "Kioku uses a powerful weapon called the _Keyblade,_ so he is far from a pushover." The fish warned. "Just keep those guys out of the way, I have other plans to take care of."

Another purring cackle came from the boots, "Don't worry, my client. This, _Kioku_ , will be no match for me."

* * *

 ** _~The Next Morning~_**

 ** _~Far, Far Away: Guest Bedchamber~_**

Kioku, Spongebob and Patrick slept soundly inside of a guestroom on the end of the corridor, two doors down from Fiona's room. They decided to get some rest for the night before heading out into the kingdom to search for Yoru and the King. However, the three were abruptly woken up by the sounds of three ear crunching knocks on their door, which made them scramble about the Queen-sized bed they all had shared. Kioku rolled and slammed onto the floor, he gritted his teeth with irritation. "Who...the _hell_..." He cursed as he climbed up to his feet, stomping towards the double doors. Spongebob and Patrick both sat up and shook their heads, waking themselves up. "Who could that be?" Spongebob asked sleepily.

"Who in the hell is knockin' like the—royal guar—" Kioku ranted as he opened the doors, jumping back as Shrek's face had startled him, making the teen spring his arms up comically. Kioku exhaled and put a hand to his chest, "Dude, what the heck is the deal, it's like early in the morning!" The teen shouted in a whisper, angry at the ogre for waking him up.

"Get your shoes on, Kioku," Shrek said with a calm smile, he pointed a thumb behind him. "Donkey and I are meeting with Fiona's dad for a fishing trip out in the wild, he asked you to join." He explained.

"Wait," Patrick interrupted, rubbing his eyes as he approached the door. "When did you and the king become all buddy-buddy, all of a sudden?" He asked, skeptical of the situation. Shrek shrugged, "He just woke me up, apologized, and offered to take us out to fish."

Kioku lowered his eyes and yawned, "Well, I guess it'll kill some time before we go search the kingdom." He turned to Spongebob and Patrick. "You guys in?"

The two nodded, "Sounds like an adventure!" Spongebob cheered happily. Donkey pranced up to Shrek, "Did they say yes?"

Shrek groaned. "Yes, Donkey!" he answered.

Kioku rubbed his face again, still half asleep. "Can we get breakfast first?" He asked as his stomach growled savagely. Shrek nodded down the corridor, "There's a Friar Boy restaurant down the street, I think they're open at this hour."

* * *

 ** _~Far, Far, Away: Forest Grove~_**

After getting breakfast, the five of them set out to meet Fiona's dad far out into the forest for a... fishing trip? The king had given the party a rather odd, and skeptical set of directions that had ended up getting them lost in the woods. Kioku smiled and bit into his breakfast burrito, which had contained chopped up grilled mutton meat, with sour cream and veggies. The tortilla was cooked to a golden crisp, and for it being the first thing Kioku has eaten in a while, he savored the taste gratefully. But in the midst of his breakfast, the boy looked around with uncertainty of their direction. "So, you guys mind telling us where we are?" He chewed. Shrek grumbled angrily and looked down at Donkey, who had been the one instructing the group. "I have no clue because _DONKEY_ of all people, doesn't know where to go, either!" He ranted.

Donkey jumped in defense, "I'm tellin' you, the king told us to head this way—past all the scary trees and stuff!" He explained.

Spongebob sipped his orange juice, "Yeah, this definitely is a bit creepy." He said, looking around the forest oddly.

Shrek sighed, "The only chance I get to make things right with Fiona's dad and I get lost in the forest with you." He huffed at the donkey.

Kioku barged in, "Hey, hey! Shrek, he's only trying to help, so chill!" He took a bite out of his burrito again and held it out to the ogre. "Wanna bite, it's fried mutton." Kioku smiled graciously, trying to lift the angered ogre's spirits.

Shrek chuckled and grabbed it, "Look, I know he's trying to help—I'm sorry, lads." The ogre apologized. "I just can't mess this up again, it'll mean a lot to Fiona."

Donkey nudged the ogre, "It's alright, I know we're all a little cranky from a few Heartless ambushes—but we'll all be okay." He cheered.

Kioku shoved his hands into his pockets and sighed, "C'mon—let's just hurry and meet up with him." he said, still annoyed by the two's bickering.

Hiding deep within the trees nearby, a black coat had lurked far into the shadows, observing the five of them as they traveled on. In a flourishing spiral of black and gray thorns, a single long katana appeared in his hand. A calm aura soothed his body and he lowered himself and crept forward. "Number XIII...Ikkxou.." he muttered lowly, in a hollow tone. "I'm not sure whether to test your strength—or slay you here, as a favor for your tyrannical 'friend'." He laughed softly, his body shaking as he was filled by a maniacal sensation. A sensation of excitement for killing Kioku all for the irony, achieving his goal in the end. He touched the dull gray blade with his black glove, his eyes sharpening as his eyes focused on the teen, who was walking alongside his friends...and another target. He huffed and readied himself.

The sound of a purring cat suddenly crept over the black coat, sliding across his shoulders before pouncing off and flying towards a tree branch. "Ngh! What the..!" The black coat exclaimed in confusion.

The purring figure flipped to another tree, then another, getting closer to the group stealthily. Kioku looked down at Donkey, and folded his hands behind his head. "Jeez, I know you're trying to be the sentimental one in the group—but tone down the purring, will ya?" The teen said, rolling his eyes with a smirk. Donkey shook his head, "Kioku, donkeys don't purr. Besides, I'm wasn't purring to begin with!"

"Gonna give me a hug instead?" Kioku laughed, making the Donkey trot forward.

"Donkeys don't purr. So I don't purr—besides, I ain't no—"

 ** _THUD!_**

Landing on it's feet in front of the party was a orange cat, donning a cavalier's hat with a yellow feather. On his tiny feet were large black boots that reached all the up to his knees. He wore a black belt around his waist with a rapier tucked on the side and a black cape on his back. The cat stood on it's hind legs with its boots and drew it's little rapier. "Ha HA—fear me if you dare!" he shouted with a thick, noticeable accent.

Kioku paused in his tracks, looking at what he saw before him and his friends with a deadpan expression. He squatted down to the cat's level and tilted his head, " _Awww_...it's someone's stray I bet." Kioku mewed with an excited smile. Shrek laughed, "Look at it's wee little outfit, Halloween hasn't come up yet, y'know." The ogre mocked. The cat growled under his hat, resting a paw on his rapier.

Donkey gasped in fear and ran behind Shrek, "You two better watch out, he's got a piece!" he shouted cautiously.

Kioku turned to Donkey and scoffed, "It's a cat, what harm could it do?"

The cat hissed and drew his rapier with a quick swipe, "You'll regret making a mockery of the _Puss in Boots_." He meowed just before pouncing towards the party. Kioku giggled, "Puss in Boots?" He said in a childlike-tone. "Is that your nam—" He grunted as the cat delivered and swift roundhouse kick to his chin and sent him flying into a tree beside him. Puss had then spun his rapier rapidly and swiped away at the group, causing them to disperse around the cat. The cat then turned his attention back to Kioku and tossed his sword at him, making the teen flipped up to his feet and spin out of the way of the speeding rapier. The sword lodged into the tree, and Kioku was quick to grab and send it back towards the cat with the same energy, but the feline had caught the blade with ease.

"Okay." The teen nodded and summoned his Keyblade, "I tried to be nice about this, but I'll just get right to the point." He got into a stance as the rest of them gathered around the front lines, "Get the hell out of our way."

 ** _(INFORMATION: Chase away the cat!)_**

 ** _(Battle Theme: Rowdy Rumble)_**

The cat dashed towards Kioku again and swung it's sword, but the boy had quickly parried the attack and retaliated with a stronger one of his own, which had flung the cat into the air instantly. He launched himself into the air and bashed the cat with multiple aerial strikes, circling around the animal and returning him to the ground with walloping slam from his Keyblade. Shrek moved in and dashed into Puss and grappled him as he came speeding to the ground, attempting to toss him into Patrick for another attack, but the cat had used it's claws to latch onto Shrek's arm, making the ogre cry in pain and gallop around the forest.

"GAAAHHH! Get it off me!" Shrek cried, waving his arm around in an attempt to throw Puss off. Kioku jumped onto a tree branch and climbed back onto the ground, quickly running towards Shrek and the cat with his Keyblade at his side. Puss had then grabbed his rapier and kicked off of Shrek, pouncing towards Kioku again in a quick motion. The teen had then came to a halt and tossed his Keyblade up into the air, and then opened his arms as Puss came flying towards him. Just as the cat came close enough, Kioku grabbed onto him and spun his body, lifting both himself and the cat up into a backwards arch and crashed into the ground with a great slam, landing right down on Puss' shoulders. The boy rolled up to his feet as his Keyblade came spinning down towards Puss' head with a clunk, knocking him out.

 **{KIOKU LEARNED:** **_Dark Step/Dark Slide}_**

 ** _Dark Step: This ability allows Kioku to quickly slide around the enemy just before their attack hits. The screen will darken and Kioku's attacks with grow in speed, while also stunning them._**

 ** _{Party: HP and MP UP}_**

Kioku turned the others and waved, "It's alright, I didn't kill 'im."

Spongebob marched past the boy, looking down towards Puss in slight pity, "It was still a bit much." he raised his staff up into the air, a bright green aura with earthly accents washed over Puss' body, healing the bumps and bruised from the brief scuffle. The cat mewed, blinking his eyes a few times before looking up at the party surrounding him. "Uh oh.."

Kioku dismissed his Keyblade and picked the cat up by the skin on it's neck, holding it up into the air to meet face to face with him. "So, what should we do with the hairball?" the teen asked in a devious tone, his eyes flaring up like a hellion. Donkey picked up the cat's rapier with his mouth, "Let's neuter him."

Kioku smiled, "Sounds great."

Puss hissed and shook around, "W-Wait! Please it was nothing personal amigo!" The cat cried. "I was only doing it for my family, a big man named Bubble Bass asked me to do it—please just don't hit me again!"

Spongebob gasped, "Bubble Bass is here? He's gettin' awfully lazy."

"Sending a cat to try and kill us?" Kioku snickered, "Guess he's following in his master's footsteps of recruiting local muscle—only Bubble Bass sucks at it."

"Your skills are admiring, amigo." Puss said in a genuine tone. "So please, let me down already." he begged.

Kioku rolled his eyes and dropped the cat with a thud. "Alright, now get lost."

The cat picked up his hat and brushed it off, "Very well, but just to let you know—I wasn't the only assassin out here in this forest."

Spongebob flinched at the cat's statement, "You mean there's another bad guy around?"

Kioku looked down at the cat, summoning his Keyblade with a hand in his pocket. "Who else is here?" he asked in a low voice, hoping that he wouldn't have to lay a second beat down on a cat. Puss threw his paws up in defense, "Th-They aren't with me, senor! They were dressed in a black cloak, and they were lowered into a stance, like a predator stalking it's prey."

The teen spun around a soon as the words 'black cloak' graced his ears, "These guys too?" he muttered. Suddenly, a series of blades appeared above the party in a spiraling poof of black and white thorns and dropped at an accelerated speed. Spongebob looked up, gasping at the blades, he quickly summoned a Reflect orb around them all, repelling the blades as they came crashing down on them. After a few seconds, the magic barrier burst around them, and Kioku got a glimpse of a black figure slithering from the forest and had started towards them. The boy spit on the ground and tossed his Keyblade up into the air, making an immediate dash towards the black cloak. Upon approaching the sword wielding figure, Kioku ducked his body under his enemy's arms and grappled his torso. He quickly circled around with with impressive speed and latched onto him again, this time tossing the black cloak over his own body, sending him into the air. The black cloak recovered himself in the air and landed on the ground with a skidding halt. The Keyblade came spinning down towards it's master, in which he caught with his dominant hand.

The black figure adjusted itself and huffed, "XIII, it's been a while."

Kioku picked himself up from the ground, "'A while', I've never seen you before.." The teen stood up and sized the tall figure up.

The figure then let down it's hood, revealing his feminine-like face with long, dark brown hair with bangs that nearly covered his crimson red eyes. The cloaked man waved casually. "It's Xilom, number VII?"

Spongebob quickly interjected, "Stop messing around! What's the Syndicate doing messing around in Far, Far Away?" he interrogated boldly.

Xilom chuckled, "I was just doing a little recon and I started..overhearing things." He said with a light drawl.

"Things like what?" Patrick asked, readying one of his shields in defense. Xilom paced back and forth, "Oh y'know—eliminating fiances and their meddling house guests—for...the kingdom, was it?" He explained, biting his bottom lip as he clenched his blade.

Kioku rested his Keyblade on his shoulder, "What the hell? You don't mean—"

Xilom nodded, "Yes, the King asked me to get rid of you guys—for the sake of the kingdom that is." He said, moving around eccentrically. He put a finger to his chin, "And I thought—'this idea could work out in the Syndicate's favor'—I could bring back Ikkxou, while also recruiting our big, green fella over here." He explained, gesturing to Shrek, who gave the man a look.

"Wait—you want _me_ to join _you_?" Shrek asked, pointing to himself and then at Xilom. The ogre laughed, "Yeah right, like I'd join a couple of glorified mortuary corpses." He said, bluntly insulting the Nobody.

Xilom shrugged, "You put on a tough front, ogre. Behind that scary exterior lies a hurt, rejected heart longing for acceptance." He said, the playful demeanor absent in his voice. "You'll find yourself wandering on the correct path soon." The Nobody opened up and corridor of darkness and smiled.

"Sayonara, XIII. I've spared you, the least you could say is 'thank you'." Xilom teased, making the teen flip him off.

"Piss off already." Kioku cursed at the man, "Next time we meet, I'll be standing over your disintegrating body." He said threateningly. Xilom rolled his eyes and flipped his hood back on before disappearing into the portal before it closed. Shrek sighed and turned away from everyone in shame, "So much for daddy's blessing." he moped, walking over to a boulder before resting on it.

Donkey trotted up to his friend, "Aw cheer up, Shrek. Almost everyone you meet wants to kill you."

Patrick rubbed his chin, "Maybe if he looked like some sort of handsome prince, Fiona would like him more." He babbled,

"And Fiona knows that you'd do anything for her." Spongebob added, scratching his head in thought.

Shrek sighed and rubbed his face, "It's not like I wouldn't change if she asked me to. I wish there was a way we could work something out."

"Wish...wish—wait a sec!" Suddenly, a light went off in Kioku's head and he quickly dug into his pants pocket. He pulled out the glittery business card Fairy Godmother had given to them and held it up. "Happiness is just a teardrop away, right?" Kioku smirked. He then summoned his Keyblade in flash and turned to Donkey, who had backed up skeptically.

"W-wa-wait, what's going on here?" Donkey asked frightfully.

"We're gonna need you to cry in order for this to work." Kioku explained calmly, aiming his Keyblade at Donkey's leg. "I'm only gonna sting you bit."

And before the Donkey could argue, Kioku had sent a quick jolt of magic into Donkey's leg, making him yelp and hop up in pain. "GAAH! Kioku now why would you go and—" The donkey murmured as a single tear droplet came sliding down his cheek. The teen wiped his tear with the card and a emerging from it was a sparkling bubble, which had started to grow in size as it flew up into the air. The bubble hovered, and an image of Fairy Godmother appeared from within it, smiling at the party.

"This is Fairy Godmother, but I am currently away from my desk or with a client—" The image of Fairy Godmother was then replaced with one of a cottage, which was attached to a large factory. "If you come by the office, I'll be happy to schedule an appointment. Have a Happy Ever After!" A with a poof of pink glitter and sparkles, the bubble has disappeared, with Spongebob, Patrick and Donkey gawking in awe.

Shrek nudged Kioku with an elbow, "Whaddaya say lad? You ready for a little adventure?" He asked, making Kioku nod happily. "I'm down for it!" He bounced eagerly. Donkey trotted, "That's what I'm talking about! Five stalwart friends going on another whirlwind adventure!" He had started to sing as they started off to Fairy Godmother's factory. The Puss in Boot called out to them, "Wait!" he voice causing the party to stop and turn around.

The cat held onto his hat, "Please, let me come with you. I'll be able to assist you against those mysterious figures, like Xilom." He plead, looking on at the gang with a persuasive, adorable look. Kioku's glare had slowly drooped into a empathetic frown, slowly approaching Puss as he continued to give them the look. The teen folded his arms, "Aww man,"

He then scooped up Puss in his arms, "I'm sorry for suplexing you." He apologized, petting the cat's fur as it purred in response. Donkey shouted at the boy, "Kioku!"

Kioku whined, "But Donkey, look at his boots and his little hat! He just looks sooo cute!" He hugged the cat, "Plus he can fight Heartless with us! let's keep 'im!" The party all groaned at Kioku's childish behavior, but indefinitely agreed that bringing Puss along would be extra help, especially if they were to run into the likes of Xilom or any other Syndicate member for that matter. All six of them were setting out to find Fairy Godmother's factory, and seeking help from her could be the key to saving Shrek's withering relationship with Fiona and her parents. However, would it be enough to stop the darkness that was approaching them ever so quickly?


End file.
